Local Seabees celebrate 70th anniversary

A plaque commemorating a small military unit known for constructing bases and combating enemies overseas will be unveiled Saturday in Cape County Park.

Local veterans who served with the Seabees, a special combat and construction unit of the U.S. Navy, are celebrating the group's 70-year anniversary by placing a bronze plaque on the park's Veterans Memorial. The Cape Girardeau County Commission approved the plaque's placement last month, and Seabee Chapter Island 5 raised $1,000 for the plaque. Ford and Sons Funeral Home also helped fund the plaque.

"It's interesting when someone that's a veteran recognizes Seabees," Seabee dedication coordinator Thomas Meyer said. "But not much of the general public knows who the Seabees are. It's good to recognize those who have served."

Founded on March 5, 1942, the Seabees built the Navy's bases around the world during World War II and helped earn U.S. victories in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. During the war, more than 325,000 men served as Seabees and built more than 400 advance bases, 11 major airfields and 441 piers.

The Seabees were also instrumental in operations at Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima. Because of its initial work in the Pacific islands in World War II, the unit names it veterans' chapters islands and assigns numbers, Meyer said. The local island has roughly 70 members.

The Seabees constructed an air base in the Philippines during the Korean War and built schools, infrastructure and a base in the Indian Ocean during the Vietnam War. During the invasion of Iraq, the Seabees were responsible for the removal of Saddam Hussein statues.

Although instrumental in most of the United States' military endeavors since the second world war, the Seabees comprise very little of the country's armed forces.

"We probably represent about 0.065 percent of the total military," said Meyer, who joined the Seabees in 1969 and served in Cambodia and Thailand during the Vietnam War.

Meyer said he expects roughly 50 Seabees veterans at Saturday's dedication, but encouraged other veterans and interested people to attend. At the dedication, Meyer will read the unit's history and honor Seabees who have served.

Weather permitting, military vehicles from the SEMO Military Vehicle Group will be at the dedication.

Mike Morgan, who served with the Seabees in Desert Storm, said he is excited for the plaque's dedication.

"It's a great thing, really," he said. "The Seabees gave me a lot of good training and military skills."

The circular plaque, which has a 16-inch diameter, will be dedicated at 1 p.m. Saturday.

psullivan@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address: Cape County Park, Cape Girardeau, Mo.