Navy Constructionman Jared M. Brooks, son of Julie C. Georges of Catawba, Va. and Michael A. Brooks, of Bradenton, Fla., is currently deployed. Brooks along with fellow Sailors presently in Afghanistan are manning defenses and constructing a compound in the Lashkar Gah District to support U.S. Marines who will advise Afghan Uniformed Police (AUP) and prepare them for a smooth transition upon the eventual draw-down of U.S. and allied forces.

Some Sailors from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11 departed the battalion’s main body in March with equipment, materials, and supplies to set and maintain defensive positions while constructing a sustainable compound for U.S. Marines. The new compound will include everything from power and communications capabilities to berthing, dining facilities, office spaces, and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation buildings. Sailors assigned to construction battalion are commonly referred to as Seabees.

Typically, Seabee project sites are secured by Marines, thus allowing the Seabees to arrive and begin construction. For this site, however, Seabees arrived with personnel dedicated to security and other crews dedicated to construction. Small elements of Marines are on site to facilitate a smooth transition of the compound when the Seabees depart at the end of the project. This type of interaction exemplifies the fluidity of the joint service relationship between the Marine Corps and the Seabees of the Navy.
Homeported in Gulfport, Miss., NMCB-11 mission is to conduct general, mobility, survivability engineering operations, defensive operations.

Brooks joined the Navy in January 2011.

Submitted by Fleet Hometown News Releases