My son is talking to the Navy Recruiter and also about SeaBee's. Can anybody give a rough idea of what the current deployment cycle is. Boot Camp, Rate schooling etc and then to a Battalion. What do the Battalions do 6&6, 3&9 or as in my Navy. "How the hell do I know, it changes almost everytime the message traffic comes in."
MY AD was Pacflt 76-80 MSC Reserve units for 15 years, with 11 months recalled with MSCFE for Desert Shield/Storm,, and then supporting Provide Comfort (refugees in theater) Sea Angel(Bangladesh cyclone) and then Fiery Vigil (Mt. Pinatubo), finally getting home in July 91.
Up to that point, the SeaBees were mostly going to various island paradises. Now I understand they sill go to sandy places.
Assuming for the sake of discussion, that no new big contingencies erupt (ha) what's the cycle like. And are the rotations from Gulfport and Pt. Hueneme roughly similar seeing as it is about the same distance from both places?
His big brother is in the Air Force, so he isn't going to go all bad.
As is always the case, your Son will go to Great Lakes for boot, off to "A" School and then he'll pick up a battalion at either Gulf Port or Port Hueneme. After that things will change dramatically.
While the Navy itself has experienced a reduction in force, Seabees are gaining billets due to their heavy engineering efforts in support of our Marines. To this end the NCR's are deploying port and starboard as main body/forward with the Battalions responding accordingly.
Right now there's a little bit of a breather for West Coast NMCB's due to 22nd NCR out of Gulf Port taking over as the proponent engineering command in Fallujah but they're still in rotation along with our East Coast Bees. In fact, even the Guam deployments at Covington field air dets in support of operations in Iraq so chances are your Son will spend at least one deployment in the Middle East no matter where his battalion is stationed because the West Coast takes over again next year.
Right now A-Stan is heating up substantially so with President Obama openly committing US Forces there it's a sure bet your Son will be part of the increasing Seabee effort to build infrastructure in support of our ground units engaging Insurgents. Taliban is no joke and with they're increasing strength and local popularity they're making no bones about fighting us to the bitter end which has prompted the Pentagon to issues forecasts expecting a fifty percent increase in US casualties over the next year.
This data is accurate because my Wife spent two NMCB and two NCR tours where we only saw her six times in three years so we've lived what you're getting ready too. It's not easy to be sure and God knows I hated the news so much I stopped watching after they held the elections in December 2005. But God is the key so pray hard and hold onto your faith because that's what will get you, your Son, your Family and ALL our magnificent Seabees through this.
God be with you Brother. Fair winds and following seas to you and your Family.
Maybe they will see this here. Everytime I try to reply on that thread, it tries to get me to login again. This thread is only asks me to login about half the time.
The Cargo Handling Battalions are primarily stevedoring units that are supposed to support pre-positioned force ships if the :normal" Army Transportation Corps stevedoring units aren't available. IIRC they are one of the MSC group of reserve units and have no active duty counterpart.
Lead Mod Navy and Recconect America Forums catherine0830@msn.com Democracy will survive until the government figures out it can bribe the people with their own money.
