Seabees Caleb Baker and Seaman Eric Hofmans, of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74, take a recent break as they finish building a school in Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa. Their sense of pride comes through loud and clear. It reminds me of my late father-in-law, who was a Seabee for 42 years. He too built stuff all over the world for the U.S. military — including the Boy Scout camp my sons attended in Virginia, long before they were born.
So think it’s only fitting that my first post to Battleland be in honor of BUC John “Jack” Gould of Warwick, R.I., long-time Seabee, Vietnam vet, and a great guy. Just like Jack, we will try to build here on Battleland too: not so much by yelling and hammering, but by Seabee-like construction skills. Let’s build a better blog to debate the key issues facing the U.S. military and the national-security issues facing the nation. Let’s illuminate the issues by keeping heat low, and light high. Or, as Jack never tired of telling his carpentry-challenged son-in-law, by measuring twice, cutting once.
