Reserve Force Leaders Check Out NMCB 26 Preparation for Afghanistan

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Charles White, Navy Region Southeast Reserve Component Command Public Affairs

CAMP SHELBY, Miss. (NNS) -- Commander, Navy Reserve Force and Navy Reserve Force Master Chief joined Navy Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 26 to witness Reserve Seabee mobilization training procedures aboard Camp Shelby Oct. 13.

Vice Adm. Dirk Debbink and FORCM (FMF) Ronney Wright were on hand to see multiple combat scenarios and even a combat zone bridge deployment during the final day of their two-day trip to the Gulfport area. They spent the day prior touring the Navy Operational Support Center and the Navy Mobilization Processing Site located aboard Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport.

Both Debbink and Wright visited with a wide variety of NMCB 26 detachments while at the nation's largest Reserve component training center.

While speaking with their hosting Seabees their message was clear.

"Seabees are legendary," said Debbink, while speaking about the Seabee's facilitation of the move from Iraq to Afghanistan.

He shared with NMCB-26, a message he received from NMCB-18, the battalion they will relieve next year.

"They [NMCB-18] told me that the work they were doing is so important that they want to stay, and they asked not to get sent home early," Debbink said. "That is the same work you will be doing."

Wright, who before becoming a command master chief was a hospital corpsman, was impressed by the advances in field medicine technology.

"I've never seen this before," he said, while digging through the battalion's field triage supply.

Noting that he would not likely make it back to Gulfport before they go, Vice Adm. Debbink wished them well.

"I hope you guys have a great deployment," he said.