By Lt. Jeffery Moore and Lt. James Barlow
Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 28 Public Affairs
AL ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq, April 25, 2007 — The Seabees of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 28 finished construction of a combat outpost for Marine Regimental Combat Team 2 and Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, in Iraq’s Al Anbar province, April 24.
When the Marines asked for help, the battalion was ready to respond. Dating back to the early days of World War II, the Marine Corps and the Navy’s Seabees have enjoyed a long tradition of shared service, which includes having to endure the same harsh frontline conditions. Today’s struggle in the global war on terrorism is no different.
These combat outposts, or COPs, help bring stability to regions plagued by Iraqi insurgents. They serve as a staging point for regular patrols and weapons cache sweeps, and allow the Marines to respond quickly to any situation that might arise. COPs also afford Marines the ability to eat, sleep and work in relative safety.
Normally, COPs are constructed by Marine Combat Engineering Battalions, but this time, Seabees from NMCB 28 got the call. Adding to the uniqueness of this mission, the Seabees were given only 48 hours to plan and stage prior to the start of the mission.
The battalion put together a detachment of 39 personnel for the mission, led by Lt. Mike Wilkinson, Civil Engineer Corps officer. Within the limited timeframe, they prepared a camp layout, pulled the necessary 12 truckloads of material together, staged 24 pieces of equipment and started the mission.
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