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Blackanthem Military News
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Last Updated:
Mar 20, 2010 - 5:39:42 PM |
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Blackanthem Military News
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| Navy Petty Officer 1st Class John Cid, builder, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion-5, from Quezon City, Philippines, hammers nails into a truss while working on a project here June 2. The Seabees' primary focus since March has been the completion of the Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan, Regimental Combat Team-3 and Camp Leatherneck Garrison Combat Operations Centers. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Aaron Rooks). |
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Helmand Province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - Some construction sites here have recently become ghost towns. Various wooden structures throughout the camp sit almost abandoned as each day goes by.
It's unusual though, how these projects seem to grow larger and nearer to completion every morning.
At one time, these sites were a beehive of activity throughout the day. The sailors of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion-5 were everywhere; on top of the buildings, inside them, walking around them, all looking for their next task. This was the case every day, from sun up to sun down.
"Construction projects would go smoothly during the day until the afternoon," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Beigmann, crane mechanic and lifter, NMCB-5, "but then the wind and sandstorms would pick up, not to mention the extreme temperatures, causing work to slow or stop completely."
The Seabees' primary focus since March has been the completion of the Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan, Regimental Combat Team-3 and Camp Leatherneck Garrison Combat Operations Centers.
Their first project, the MEB-Afghanistan COC, was a project of record proportions completed in record time. The construction plan for the building was estimated to take at least five months to complete, said Petty Officer 1st Class Thomas Damron, builder, NMCB-5. The Seabees did it in three.
"Personal pride and dedication helped us get through the first project," said Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Britner, builder and crew leader, NMCB-5. "We would've liked to go back to our racks and stop, but we had a personal commitment to get the job done."
Their successes in the first project did not come without hardships. The Seabees worked from around 6 a.m., to 6 p.m., each day. But with the temperature rising to an average high of 125 degrees every afternoon, and the constant sandstorms and high winds flowing across the camp, work efforts were often stalled.
"The sun itself took a toll on people," said Britner. "Even if you weren't doing any hard labor, you were still exhausted from the heat beating down on you. The wind and sandstorms would make things more difficult and cause progress to really slow because of it."
The Seabees determined from their lessons learned on the first project that changes needed to be made to increase productivity and safety. Instead of working constantly during the day, they decided to do it all under the night sky.
And it has paid off. Since the change to a night-time construction schedule, productivity increased by 26 percent.
Britner mentioned that the cooler temperatures and calmer environment, coupled with the experience gained by the crews in the first project, are key factors of their continued success.
As for safety, NMCB-5 leaders are taking steps to avoid potential hazards. Every night, before going to work, they conduct a safety briefing to remind everyone of the present dangers.
"There's nothing that we do in construction that isn't hazardous," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Doug Hoffman, safety supervisor, NMCB-5. "As for the heat index, I'd say it's 90 percent safer working at night."
But this doesn't mean nighttime operations are completely safe. According to Hoffman, it comes down to vigilance and being aware of your surroundings at all times.
Getting closer to completing all three buildings, the Seabees are staying out of the sun during the day, out of the clinic and on top of their game. Productivity has increased and they haven't had any accidents.
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
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| Navy Petty Officer 1st Class John Cid, builder, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion-5, from Quezon City, Philippines, nails a piece of lumber to the roof of the Camp Leatherneck Garrison Combat Operations Center on June 2. The Seabees of NMCB-5 recently changed their working schedule from day to night to increase safety and productivity. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Aaron Rooks). |
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| Seabees with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion-5 add a truss to the Camp Leatherneck Garrison Combat Operations Center on June 2. The most trusses the sailors added in one day were 48, but once they changed their schedule to working nights, they added 56 on the first night. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Aaron Rooks). |
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| Navy Petty Officer 1st Class John Cid, builder, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion-5, from Quezon City, Philippines, inspects the roof of the Camp Leatherneck Garrison Combat Operations Center on June 2. Productivity increased by 26 percent since the Seabees changed to a nighttime construction schedule. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Aaron Rooks). |
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Menchie
24 Jun 2009, 04:30
Hello John Paul, my congratulations to your group, keep up the good works
guys. Pray always...I am proud of you!!love Tita Menchie
lulu cid curata
21 Jun 2009, 04:03
hi, bat ikaw lang gumgawa dyan o ikaw pinifeature dyan as if its so easy
job 4 u anyway take care always we miss u!
tita lu2
ella cid
19 Jun 2009, 22:38
nmcb5 battalion keep up the good work and more power!
john paul take care god bless you we will pray for you always
we love you!!
proj 8, quezon city,phils.
Glloria Britner
12 Jun 2009, 21:24
HOORAH NMCB 5!
7 weeks left.
BU1 Britner HOORAH HUBBY< you are amazing. I love you keep up the good
work!!!
Next time make them take a pic of you on here!
We love you and God keeping blessing them everyday with your safety!
JOHN D. CID
12 Jun 2009, 12:54
more power to you guys nmcb 5,
john paul keep up the good work
we are proud of you
dad
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