The Seabees On Iwo Jima | Full Documentary

[@William-p3u]

I am a seabee that served in Danang Vietnam from 1965 til.1967. Rain, mud, and monsoon weather took its toll. Tough work. Mosquitos and lots of trauma. I am now 78 years old and it still lives with me

[@udsmall7306]

My grandfather was on Guadalcanal- a Seabee 'dozer driver, grading Henderson Field under fire. 🐝🚜 We truly stand on the shoulders of giants.

[@JohnRatomski]

This Documentary was my idea. I helped provide some of the Bees interviewed and some that didn't make the film, as well as helped edit the originally script.. My Father was a WW2 Seabee, 27 months in the Pacific. After reading and researching volumes of Seabees history, In my opinion, they never got the credit they deserved. A tough bunch indeed!

[@leddielive]

I know, I've seen John Wayne working with the Construction Battalions at the movies, some marvellous classic war films. 🎭

[@Warszawski_Modernizm]

Amazing work and heritage! Much respect from Poland!

[@nathanielnelson5123]

Where are the Black Seabees?

[@iTrollyua]

@@nathanielnelson5123😂

[@dieseldabberdoug8285]

42:38 ​@@nathanielnelson5123

[@svbarr]

A Neighbor when I was a kid in the 60's was a WW2 Seabee. Toughest and nicest guy I ever met. After the war he hooked up with an Architect and they built thousands if well made tract homes in Southern California. His garage was the first real "Man Cave" I ever saw. He had a TV and small bar/fridge - a Lazy Boy recliner and was surrounded by all the tools you could imagine. When kids would hang out he's give us popcorn and sodas, and tell us stories. He said the Seabees taught him how to build FAST and strong. In a place of honor on the wall of his Man Cave was a Seabee flag...The best generation for sure.

[@frankdodgee]

Heroes of The Greatest Generation. They were exposed as they were out in the open with shovels or on Loaders and Graders. True Grit.

[@patricklowder3280]

I was a construction mechanic in SeaBees for 20 years. These were the guys that paved the way for us.

[@kennethhigdon1159]

Mcb40 A co here

[@leddielive]

Quite literally laying paving amongst many many different projects. 🫡

[@davefellhoelter1343]

How do "I GET IN?" it's in my DNA(gramps WWII) I'm a journeyman of about as many trades as fingers, fuel, waste, water treatments, energies, building anything, and retired, do it for free.

[@lawnmanmartinfan7909]

Thank you sir for your service

[@patricklowder3280]

@lawnmanmartinfan7909 It was my honor, I retired in 2011 and miss it every day. Also, I might have had more fun than I should have.

[@jackriley3056]

as a Marine in Vietnam i benefited every day by what the Seabees built. From where i slept to the roads i drove on. liberty bridge made life better for all that used it. thanks

[@rodneyrosecrants8910]

I was a Seabee just out of high school in 1971 , construction equipment mechanic….Midway Island, Diego Garcia, Guam..made a man out of me

[@rafehr1378]

Man, you got the long-distance jobs. D.G. broke a lot of my buddies. NMCB 10. 1971 -- 1974

[@cmpe43]

@@rodneyrosecrants8910 its amazing what Guam looks like today, I had a client that was stationed there after it was captured and was warned about being out in the open near the cliffs because they weren't cleared yet and his first night was spent in a tent when he awoke with fire ants biting and ran to the water near the cliffs knowing the danger and nothing happened.

[@CinimodNorton]

Thank you, brother.

[@gregguggisberg4362]

I was dg 88-91 best place...the amount of work that the seabees did was build an air base out of a sand bar...

[@RobertBelt-x6d]

As a US Army Combat Engineer in the early 70's I had no idea as to what combat truly entailed nor what and how the US Navy Seebes endured in the Pacific theater during WWII. I Salute to the United States Navy Seebees and all my fellow veterans. Thank The Good Lord we endured and over came... May God continue to bless our Great Republic... Amen

[@rquest3059]

My father was on Iwo Jima, 133 CB's Headquarters company. He and several of his WW2 brothers told many horrific stories (some humorous) about their time on the island. Brave souls each and every one. 🇺🇸

[@davefellhoelter1343]

Mom's Dad a Seabee, Dad's brothers Navy Pacific, one mighty Mo, one gramps underaged to Canada with a pilots Lic and then Battle of Britain. I grew up in the shade of Great Men, teachers, bosses, friends, buddies! Family.

[@scottthornton9237]

My dad was C Company 133rd SeaBees.

[@highdesertarizona]

Since I’m posting this on December 7th, I thought I’d relate this story. About a dozen years ago I was regularly mowing this older woman’s yard. She was about 18 when Pearl Harbor happened and said a lot of the boys were signing up for the military in the following weeks. So I said to her, “I bet you were saying, Those dirty Japs.. Oh they’re going to get it now” She thought about it a second, and said, “Yeah, that’s exactly what we were saying. And they got it.”

[@phillipallen3259]

I don't know if they were brave or crazy but they got the job done and returned to build a country. Absolutely amazing!

[@CinimodNorton]

A bit of both. I know.

[@gruntengr4197]

They were Marines, they were Corpsmen. They were Seabees, They were Americans, and they got the job done. They are the Greatest Generation.

[@MarlonChang-t9l]

We are a little bit of both, us see bees are a different kind of service members, with respect to others, there is nobody out there that can do, what we do, our saying goes like this, the impossible we already did, miracles will take us a little longer

[@CinimodNorton]

@@MarlonChang-t9l Correction, The difficult we do immediately, the impossible take a little longer. CM2

[@colmhain]

Maybe just crazy brave.

[@f.k.burnham8491]

My uncle was a corpsman on Iwo. When he came back from there, he was never the same. What had gotten to him was the fact that he couldn't save many of the wounded. May he rest in peace,

[@Allium_369]

May God rest his soul

[@rafehr1378]

There was no one better to give us medical aid when FUBARed. I would tear up if I saw a medic after serving.

[@podunkman2709]

American tactics were similar to Russian ones; pushing the enemy away, military advantage. It lacks the brilliance of the Wehrmacht. Such tactics caused huge human losses. Many of these islands were taken completely unnecessarily. Many poor people lost their lives without meaning.

[@REF49]

My father finished his residency and immediately entered the Navy and took a train to California, shipped to Pearl Harbor and was attached to the Marines He survived Iwo Jima, Okinawa and half a dozen other encounters boots on the ground, running from bomb crater to any cover available treating injured Marines. I was born after he returned so I never knew the man he was before the war. He refused to discuss anything about his war experience. I only know what I read in his diary or overheard as a child when he talked with fellow veterans.

[@DALDO135]

My Uncle Joe was a SeaBee on Iwo Jima. I remember him but was young. My mom told me he was very religious prior to the War. But when he came home, never believed in God again. He told my mother that with all he saw & went thru. There is no way there is a God. 👍🇺🇸👍🇺🇸

[@JayRotz]

As a Marine during Desert Storm, the Seabees did & still do outstanding work in & out of harms way. Damn Proud of my one son being a BU. Definitely befriend these guys, if they don't have it, they'll get it.

[@7mm-08]

❤

[@theway3058]

❤

[@michaelpettit9706]

Hahaha! Yup, we are the Radar O'Reilly's of the Navy!

[@beckyumphrey2626]

From a 4 year Navy Vet 81-85, thank you Seabees for all you did and do today!!!!

[@sharonwhiteley6510]

"Woody" Williams, from Quiet Dell, WV, was the last Medal of Honor awardee from WW2. He worked with the VA. Also, began the GOLD STAR FOUNDATION. He was a remarkable individual. His last words to his family: Carry on with the mission ". Mr. Williams wanted to ensure the work continued with the GOLD STAR FAMILIES.

[@rodneyharouff5739]

i did not know this. i grew up in philippi & went thru quiet dell many times from the '60's thru the '80's. a good man!

[@garyschultz7768]

So he married & had kids after the war?. Excellent

[@richyt5983]

Excellent movie that covered just about everything. I was an EO-2 NMCB133 A co, My Dad was the senior BM-2 on a LSM, my Uncle was a USMC Corporal at Iwo. I was in during the1970's, Dad was in WW2 his ship got blown up at the Leyte invasion so he missed the Iwo invasion which was supposed to be one of his next stops, my Uncle was in the initial invasion at Iwo, got wounded twice in action and we all made it home. I'm the only one alive now but I remember what they had told me about the war and Iwo and the Pacific in particular and while watching your video it was almost like them talking to me again. I appreciate your efforts with the movie and will be sending the movie information to the Seabee brothers I'm still am in contact with, I know they will appreciate it as much as me. Being in MCB133 we were taught about every detail of that battle and how we needed to honor those that came before us by being the best we could possibly be, just as they did. Many Thanks for a really Great effort at remembering seldom told history.

[@wesleyholland5004]

When were you in 133, I was in 133 from 95-2000 and again in 06-09?

[@wesleyholland5004]

Oh never mind reviewed your comment again.Well before my time

[@richyt5983]

Thanks for serving Brother, Sea Bees are a special breed and 50 years later we still keep track of each other from my gang. Take care.​@@wesleyholland5004​ ​ @wesleyholland5004 ​

[@BillBird2111]

Outstanding! Thank you Tim Gray and many thanks to your entire production crew. This was well researched and very well done. Loved the last part about how the vets felt when the U.S. gave the island back to Japan. That needed to be there.

[@colleenmonfross4283]

We can't thank our fighting men enough, truly the greatest generation. There will never be another like them, they made America the greatest nation on earth.

[@brianw612]

As a kid, I loved going to Quonset Point, RI with my dad just to see that bee, it was the coolest thing. My Dad was a Chief Petty Officer in the US Navy.

[@opieshomeshop]

*_My uncle was a sea bee in WW twice and my dad spent 16 years at CBC Pt Hueneme retiring in 1997. I knew a lot of sea bees and used to go to sea bee days and I donated items to the sea bee museum as well. A lot of my life was around the sea bees._* 👣👣👣👣👣👣👣👣👣👣👣👣👣👣

[@johndaut2838]

I was a Seabee from 1979 till 1992. Helped clean up the Marine Barracks in Lebanon. I was an Engineering Aide 1st class E6.did everything but Engineering.

[@moomama217]

Thank you, and I'm so grateful you were there in such a dark time. I pray you realize how very grateful the vast majority of us are. I pray God helps you make peace with the ghosts of the past. God bless you.

[@wesleyholland5004]

You did the slump tests on every concrete we ever poured and had AC

[@jwar2163]

Do We ever really work with in Our rating? Construction Mechanic, CM, turned wrenches when the need arose, but did so many other trades. BU, UT, EA, SW. CE, EO. My greatest achievement was and still is a World War Two Mural in Visalia California on Mooney BLVD. In recognition of all the men and women whom served in that Great War in the Altantic and Pacific Theaters.

[@user-cv9my1jq2r]

Chills bro. EO2 4 years. Nmcb 7.

[@jameshuffman835]

My grandfather was a LST operator in the South Pacific! He was 43 at the time! And also a veteran of WW1! My father was a flight engineer on a B-17! Other uncle's were mixed,Army, Marines, or Navy! My aunt was a "Ferrier" never had a driver's license but she flew planes! My mother worked for Rockwell during and after the war!

[@RogerSanGabriel]

Your aunt was bad ass.

[@jameshuffman835]

Her husband was a "tunnel Rat" in the south Pacific! They slept in different rooms because of the nightmares! They were the best of me! But truly both badasses!?

[@lukenshazard127]

My Dad was in the 5th Marine Division, 5th Tank Battalion, Company B on Iwo Jima. Great video! I was fortunate that he shared at least some of his experiences. He was driving his 4th tank when they finally left the island.

[@coreychipman]

Thank you for sharing this. He is remembered.

[@Warszawski_Modernizm]

Crazy turnover rate...your Dad was a Hero! Respect and a salute from Poland.

[@singledijjiti.q.2294]

My grandfather only spoke of his experiences from Iwo Jima once. He told me he was made to pick up soldiers in the water. I didn't get what the big deal was until he said the soldiers were all KIA most floating face down some with crabs already starting to feed on them. He said the men's lifeless faces were always in the back of his mind haunting him. Cant even imagine what that would be like.

[@sharkscrapper]

My dad was a Seabee, Korea and Vietnam. What an amazing group. HONOR

[@paulbergen6574]

My Dad too, MCB3

[@jlf2221]

I thank you for a grand historic documentary on these important guys. My dad was a Seabee in the Pacific in WWII… he would have been very proud of this work. Very well done and inspiring!

[@TimberworksTables]

US Marine here. We'll make fun of and fight with any member of any other service. But SeaBees and Corpsmen...we'll always have their backs and lay down our lives for them because they fight for us and keep us alive.

[@lewiemcneely9143]

I was in the Engineers and there was a Seabee outfit below us. (Nam) We got along fabously!

[@Lolaitsallchaos]

That was what my Dad always told me. That they were Navy, but if a bar fight broke out it was the Marines and Seabees against the Navy guys.

[@lewiemcneely9143]

@@Lolaitsallchaos I was an equipment operator and any time the Seabees wanted to make up some concrete thay'd come get me and I'd fill their mixer up with the clam bucket I filled the asphalt plant with. Got around them in Virginia. They had Internationals and I finally got a D7-E. They were drooling. The Uncle I took after running and driving was a Seebee in WW-2. My hero!

[@WilliamJohnson-g6z]

When I was a kid I saw a movie called The Fighting Seabees with John Wayne. It showed a little of what they did through a Hollywood camera. But it did not really show what these guys were able to do while under fire from a very determined enemy. I'm amazed by the fortitude that these men had. Iwo Jima must have been an intense place to be. God bless all of the veterans of world war II and all of the veterans today. Without them most of us wouldn't even be here.

[@user-ll7dy4hh5i]

My great uncle was a Sea Bee in the Pacific. He was like a grandfather to me since mine both died. He never once talked about the war. I was too young to ask. We played with his "trophies" and watched Popeye and Woody Woodpecker. But we never talked about the war. Thanks for the video.

[@167curly]

I am a Bermudian, and as a reverse Lend Lease act, America was allowed to build Fort Bell airfield in 1941/2, later called Kindley Airforce Base and finally Naval Air Station. It became Bermuda's civil airport after WW2 as well as a military facility, and was created by the SeaBees largely from reclaimed land, forming a stop for transport and bomber aircraft between America and Europe.

[@scottybee33]

Great story. Thx for sharing

[@michaelpettit9706]

Were they a black Seabee Batallion? There were 3 during WWII. I have a cruise book some where in storage and can't remember which Battalion # or the island they served on. I provided 550+ Military Funeral Honors and kept praying I would find a Seabee from that Battalion so I could gift it to the family. From the looks of the cruise book pictures and what they built throughout the islands, they were, as we say, High Speed!

[@nonyabiz2777]

War is delightful for those with no experience of it. Our country is only possible because of those who are ever young in foreign lands and the price paid from our loved ones at home. Those who know the loss and the suffering of living after war are our national treasures. I have watch many documents of war and this is one of the best for the content provided plenty of footage I have never seen and I a lot of war documentary’s. Thank you. God bless our nation and all our brothers and sisters we have los and will lose.

[@swseabee7853]

Great video. Former Navy Seabee here 89-94 Steelworker

[@kenseavey9165]

My grandpa was on Iwo Jima and a member of the Seabees. Seavey the Seabee!

[@christopherqueen3194]

My grandfather was also a Seabee on Iwo Jima. Joseph R Blackner.

[@kgeers5773]

Mine was on Tinian to build the runway for the Enola Gay. Thanks to all who sacrificed!

[@MrDpb119]

My dad was 15 when he signed up. He was in the 4th Marine division most of the war until the occupation of Nagasaki and they reassigned him to the 43’rd Seabees. Little known that there were 40 Marines in Nagasaki when they dropped the bomb. Most died from Cancer. Three, including my dad went through life very healthy. I was an Air Force Civil Engineer and my first unit was the 43rd CES at Andersen AFB Guam. I took a shot up meatball flag back to Saipan for him in 1986. He said that’s where he got it and it should go back. He was stabbed in the foot with a bayonet in that battle. I am fortunate that my dad talked to me about his experiences through the war. Some good and some pretty bad. The stuff those guys went through is unreal…..

[@Allium_369]

Wow what a story your father had. I wonder why the radiation didn’t get him but most of the other guys. were they all in the same area? There is probably not a lot of data on how radiation effects one person to another thanks for sharing

[@scottybee33]

Another awesome story. These comments are really important.

[@rickcoleman8903]

I was part of the seabees in 83 84 in Scotland at RAF Edzell Scotland and proud to have served.

[@TheRealComradeOtis]

I miss documentaries like this, the interviews, narration, and clips are all amazing. Fantastic job!

[@TrapperAaron]

My grandfather was in the army air corps stationed in new guinea. Starvation was a constant threat. By the time he left the island he had eaten every kind of fish, bushmeat, ant, termite, and grub that crawled or swam.

[@rafehr1378]

I joined the SEABEES IN 1970 to end the 'Nam War. Overseas our jobs were 16 hours to 30 hours long. Breakfast was our only main meal. If there was a chow close. That wasn't often. We hunted at all times. Then coming home, attacked, shot at. NMCB 10. "The Banned Battalion".

[@fossil-bit8439]

Seabees can actually trace their roots back to the Great War. US Naval 12th Regiment (Public Works) “The Fighting Tradesmen”. Thank you for this documentary! Well appreciated as a fellow Seabee! They don’t get enough love.

[@douglasborn4471]

Thanks for this video. My dad, 102 years old and still going, was a young ensign in the 90th NCB on Iwo Jima and went on to serve in occupied Japan for several months before they finally sent him home to be discharged. Like one of the men interviewed, he enlisted early in the war and was convinced to stay in college as he was studying to be a civil engineer. And he also tell stories about working with NCO's who were much older than he was and who had years of experience in the construction trades before the war.

[@bwilliams463]

My grandfather was a Sherman tank commander who was on Iwo from the first day to the last. He talked about fighting for the airstrips and watching damaged B29s come in on the runways that the Seabees had built, and the salt-water plumbing systems they set up for showering and latrines.

[@MrWaalkman]

I used to work for Morrison-Knudsen, and they had Wake Island survivors working for MK up into the 80's. I regret not having the opportunity to meet any of them. MK lost around 400 out of their 1,150 workers to the Japanese. I also had the pleasure of taking about a half dozen Seabees on a fishing trip in Okinawa. They weren't supposed to go, given that I was a contractor working on NAVFAC projects. But we had fun anyway. :)

[@earlspiece9403]

Bless these hero's regardless their fate... Dead, living Medal winners... they were our American young working as a team as warriors fighting the good fight!!! Bless you all!!!!

[@montanadad2223]

I don't think we could replicate this now days. As a retired Army Officer, that makes me nervous.

[@djtheg6819]

I just retired. I was a Seabee and deployed to Iraq in 2006/2007, and then Afghanistan in 2010. The military's new culture and the current generation in the military now, I am not sure we could even conduct operations like Fallujah, let alone stuff like Iwo Jima.

[@billtodd6509]

I was in ChuLai, RVN in 1965/66(USMC) and the short air strip was built by the SeaBees. I have great respect for them. My Uncle was a SeaBee in the South Pacific landing on many Islands and building airstrips and other infrastructure, including Iwo. RIP to all those MEN.

[@paul-andrelarose3389]

So much courage!!! I wonder if we could display the same courage today where entitlement is prevailing and loyalty is m.i.a.

[@stargazer5784]

The men who became known as The Greatest Generation came from a country that was really pissed off. If you get people mad enough, or frightened enough, they will fight hard. Concerning the entitlement issue, if a Republican controlled government, under the Bush administration, hadn't conned the people into believing that globalization was good for the United States, our economy would still be supported by many millions of good paying factory jobs. Now the majority of jobs are piss poor service related work. Restaurants, gas stations, stores, etc. Yeah, the Republicans sold the American dream to the lowest overseas bidder.

[@ed9096]

Proud granddaughter of a WWII Seabee (CBMU 569) stationed mostly on Stirling Island, Solomon Islands and later at Samar, Philippines. Thanks to all veterans for your service and to the makers of this film.

[@stevencoffeen6684]

My father was in the Sea Bees and was on Iwo Jima. One story I remember him telling me was as he was operating a bull dozer he accidentally cut the main communication cable on the island. Needless to say he wasn't the most popular Sea Bee on that day. He had also told me about the Typhon that he had experienced.

[@RobertWilson-i7h]

I was a Corpsman with HMA-773 in Desert Storm and reenlisted in 2006 and served as an EO1 in NMCB-24 in Iraq in 2009. Loved both jobs and was very proud to have had the privilege of both. Semper Fi and Can Do

[@N-Scale]

These were the TRUE Tough Guys !! So pround of all of them.

[@davehefterich3760]

That was a great documentary. My Dad was in the Sea Bees during WW2. He was one of those older guys they mention. After the war, he was a civilian instructor at Port Hueneme. I live in Ventura CA, just a couple of miles from the base.

[@TheBeldings-j5c]

My great granfather, Leroy, was a seebea. Never complained. Was always there for us kids. Thanks pa

[@ChellieHartman]

I remember the movie with John Wayne about the CB's but this is the first documentary about them. I am so glad this was finally done. They deserve recognition and so much more. Thank you for this.

[@alanjameson8664]

My uncle was a master machinist, and served in the SeaBees. I knew better than to ask him about it, and I was too young to know much about WWII, so couldn't ask intelligent questions anyway. I finally figured out that the one battle story he told me was from the Iwo Jima landing. A full-sized CB battalion, if I am not mistaken, was 550 men. He said it was the first time they were caught in a crossfire, and 200 men in his battalion made it across the beach and into the scant shelter of the small trees. The battalion that landed alongside of them had similar casualties. They regrouped and took out the pillboxes commanding the beach. And they were uniformed as and operated as Marines--- for the purpose of unified command. As for Suribachi being inactive, the landing beach is now about sixty feet above the shore.

[@RobertHenry-ie7kd]

My Dad a wwI Navy vet. 2 week after pearl Harbor , back in U.S Navy , A SEE Bee , next stop Battle of GUAM 👍 .2 wars ! R I P dad

[@GM8101PHX]

Very well Done video, you earned respect from this veteran for the respect and honor you gave making this video!!! I just subscribed!!

[@lawnmanmartinfan7909]

Thank you all for your service and sacrifice for our beautiful country 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸❤️❤️

[@CaseyAEmens]

GREAT documentary! I have been waiting for something like this. They dont seem to get the credit they deserve

[@cruisinguy6024]

This was a PBS documentary, one of many excellent programs they have made

[@oakiesmokie1986]

I meet a sea bee on a amtrack train in 1998 amazing bloke still rember him now. Feel great pride in meeting one of them

[@johnnyallred3753]

Great video that's long over due about the Sea Bees. This Marine enjoyed it Semper fi.

[@lisak3931]

My Grandfather was a SeeBee. I have a few patches of his. I also have a letter he sent to my grandmother. He could not say where he was, but he wrote of the heat, and that he and his buddies were working hard. He believed in what he was doing.

[@TheGeezzer]

As a Brit, I think the British equivalent is the Pioneer Corps. They are not thought very highly of, being considered as the lowest arm of the services, yet they have a very important role, without them the Army doesn't go very far, kinda stagnates where it is! As per bloody usual, its always the small man (men) that keeps the show on the road, the unsung hero that wins the day out of the limelight of those on the stage taking the bows, plaudits and credit. Up and at em! Men of honor who keep wheels rolling!

[@davidb2206]

They did one heck of a vital job in Burma under Field Marshal Slim. Unsung, indeed.

[@ronaldwhite1730]

Thanks!

[@TheWarChannel]

Thank you very much

[@steveg5933]

My granddad was in the first Seabee battalion. He wound up doing the grand tour of the Pacific. His son, my dad's older brother was a Seabee in the Korean War. I eventually became a Corpsman & while never assigned to the Bees I worked alongside them on more than one occasion. I always watch these documentaries looking to see if I see a familiar face

[@asdf9890]

Glad to see Peleliu covered. That terrible battle isn’t covered as much as it should be.

[@garydargan6]

I worked with a guy who was taught surveying by a former Seabee. He said he was really fast and efficient. When he asked him how he got so good he said you learned to work fast when someone was shooting at you

[@wfoybealiii4668]

My son served in the Seabees from 2006-2015, including deployment to Afghanistan as a Reservist in 2013-14. He was a UT and is now the most badass of all commercial construction Superintendents at the large outfit he works for today. Guy shows up 15-30 minutes early for every business or personal/family event on his calendar, and always sober and fit for duty. Can Do, for sure. Not many realize the extent to which some Seabee battalions were merged into USMC regiments in the Pacific. The regiments were referred to as "123rd, reinforced" with the reinforced being a battalion of Seabees which had been issued USMC uniforms and holding temporary pay grade/ratings of USMC counterparts. As mentioned in the documentary, many Seabees were much older than most Marines, and the result was that they enlisted at E-3 to E-6. So when their Seabee battalions were temporarily merged into Marine regiments, the result was a Marine battalion with very few Privates. The Marines hated it because guard duty goes only to junior enlisteds, and the Seabee battalions had next to none, requiring other pure Marine battalions to provide Privates for guard duty. It was not unusual, especially early in 1942-43, for Seabees to land on islands on which their own USMC sons had landed just hours to days before as Marines.

[@OL-Tom]

Retired Construction Mechanic Seabee from 1976-98. In 79 with NMCB 74, I was on Guam with a Builder Seabee that had joined during WW2. Bob Sager I think was his name, great guy.

[@tomnemo9501]

74 Does More... I don't care what those swabbies in MCB 4 say... from fellow SeaBee, MCB 74 - '68-'69

[@RonFerguson-z6r]

For every Infantryman 4 Support Service Member were required. There are many many wonderful stories we will never of. Truly The Greatest Generation

[@davidb2206]

I agree with my fellow veteran that Iwo should never have been given back after THAT cost in blood. Can you imagine the Soviets ever "giving back" a place that had cost that much blood? It could have been turned into a memorial shrine for the men who sacrificed there and all the way across the Pacific, as well as a place for thousands of units of affordable housing for the families of those who lost that loved one's lifetime of earnings. There were no "reparations" for their loss. 40 years or more of lost income in most cases since it was mostly young husbands and fathers.

[@MarkSc1]

My dad was a SEABEE In Guada Canal In Iwo Jima TRULY THE GREATEST GENERATION GOD BLESS THE REAL HEROS

[@allencollins6031]

Who knows...maybe he knew my Dad. Seabee on Gaudalcanal too.

[@Lolaitsallchaos]

One other thing that always stayed with me. When everyone else had left and they were cleaning up (as stated in the doc) my Dad was approached to stay with the Seabee's. His response, "I did what I came here to do. If you made me rear admiral of the entire fleet I wouldn't stay one more day in this hell hole". Gotta love those guys.

[@skipstein744]

Thank you gentlemen for your bravery and service. Onward!

[@michaelbuckner5374]

God bless all of you men for your sacrifice and your service to our nation

[@williamnutley5509]

Once a Seabee, always a Seabee! CM 3

[@MatthewWilliams-ws4vm]

Thanks for this my grandfather was a chaplain and heavy equipment he passed when was very young never got to hear much from the family of his wartime services

[@danielhathaway8042]

My Great uncle Lyle Obert was a Sea Bee in the Pacific unfortunately he passed away before I was born. These men were incredible with what they were able to achieve!

[@fredrich8994]

My father was on Iwo Jima and then on Okinawa. He started out in the South Pacific on the New Hebrides and island hopped all the way up. God Bless America. He was a Chief builder.

[@DonVantimmeren]

I was on Iwo Jima in 1979 at the US Coast Guard Loran C station. Saw many of the tunnels and scars of WW2. Was an honor to be there and amazed by the place.

[@jmsask]

Thank you for your service

[@saddletramp6935]

I spent 72 thru 74 at Quenset Point RI. which was on the base as Davisville. One fellow there was from hometown was stationed there. Spent a lot of time with the seabees. Good guys. Good shipmates.

[@gruntengr4197]

The United States Marines and United States Navy Corpsmen that fought in the Pacific are the greatest men that ever walked the earth. On a few of the Pacific islands Seabee's HAD to become the fighting Seabees. The largest concentration of Seabees in the Pacific was at IwoJima. 55000 Seabees. The Battalions were organized into 11 Regiments and 4 Brigades Commanded by a United States Navy Civil Engineer. He also commanded 45000 United States Army Engineers, Aviation Engineers and even a few British Engineers. Iwo Jima was Hell On Earth for the Seabees as they came ashore with the United States Marines in the first wave. I believe sooner or later Seabees made it ashore to every island the Marines took control of.

[@karlheinzvonkroemann2217]

I saw that movie too. John Wayne and Susan Hayward - "The Fighting Seabees"

[@davidmiller571]

Hell yeah! The Bees don’t get enough recognition. I was a Seabee from 2008-2013.

[@annalorree]

I used to know a man who flew in the mission to kill Admiral Yamamoto. That man landed many times at Iwo Jima, so thank you to those brave Seabees who gave USN Lt, Lawrence Graebner a place to touch down.

[@ralphgreenjr.2466]

My Uncle Tony was a Seabee on Iwo Jima. My Uncle Chester was a Marine on Iwo Jima. They did not know the other was there. They later met in Honolulu walking down the street!

[@allencollins6031]

That's awesome

[@icu8128]

One of my scoutmasters was in the first wave; packing his gear including a satchel charge on his back got the million dollar wound of shrapnel in the leg before getting off the beach was evacuated before nightfall took a year of surgeries and required a heavy leg brace forever. Men were men in those days.

[@hayvern]

Does my heart well to see my unit shown in this documentary. I was not there in World War 2 obviously, but I am proud of my service and proud of those that served before me!

[@ottergreen8190]

My Grandfather was a Sea Bee on Iwo Jima. Thank you for posting.

[@restaurantattheendofthegalaxy]

My great uncle Jack was a CB at Dutch Harbor, AK and fought againt the Japanese there and had some great stories.

[@manatmatalan1]

Another day, and another amazing history lesson. Many thanks for posting this.

[@edwinri]

Your Channel is of atmost importance. A humble recommendation. Activate all languages ​​with subtitles.

[@grassmanBoca]

The greatest generation no doubt in my mind!

[@lewiemcneely9143]

Had an Uncle in there. Never said where he was but ran a machine with one hand and held a rifle with his other. Ran everything they had. All they had to do was point. I took after him in that respect. He said so. I about DIED! I was in the Enginneers, the 97th and 34th and theCav .Learned to run a crane in there and paid several light bills with a drag bucket after I got out. Unc ended up being an iron worker after the war and stopped following jobs and came home and started showing me how to do stuff. I did it 50 years. Sure miss that rascal. I was his 'Skinny Nephew'.

[@jamesalexander3530]

Normally I wouldn't be blowing my own horn, but this is first documentary I have found focusing on the US Navy Seabees. I volunteered and served with MCB-6, then MCB-133, and RMCB-23 and trained with ACB2. My rate was HEO and in Vietnam I also served as machine gunner, security platoon and heavy equipment operator. In Gitmo, HEO and 81mm mortar gunner. Gotta love the USMC for their terrific combat training before RVN. The navy trained in NBC warfare, the Corps in riot control, and the older bees in beer chugging.

[@douggillespie747]

My uncle was a Seabee, hecwas in "The Fighting Seabees" film. He taught me so much, then at both my Naval Bases in the UK i got to know many of them. We even made the mistake of challenging them to a paintball match. Fun days and all great people.

[@AlanLegere]

Sledge surely told us all what a meat grinder Peleliu was . His book "with the old breed" shows what Hell they went through.

[@davidb2206]

That book is a masterpiece. Full of drama, too. He explains the truth of what happened, not just a Hollywood version. Remember what happened to the marine who was yelling and making noise at night when they first got to Guadalcanal, endangering the whole unit?

[@TigerDominic-uh1dv]

Thanks Men and Women for Your Service 😊

[@jefferykeeper9034]

Thanks too all that serviced !!!

[@cruisinguy6024]

What country are you from?

[@jefferykeeper9034]

@cruisinguy6024 US

[@marktinkler6897]

My mother, a Army nurse, took rifle training. She was North Carolina farm girl and a crack shot😂. Dad was in the Navy. My mother called him a 'ninety day wonder' because he was sent to Annapolis for a ninety day course on how to command an LST and was assigned to do just that for D-Day. He delivered tanks and jeeps to the Normandy beaches.

[@NAMCBEO]

Our stepdad was a WW2 Seabee on Tinian and then, two older brothers in Nam 66-68 MCB-3/MCB127, then me 69-70 MCB-3 Okinawa/Nam/Guam.