DICKINSON NATIVE EXEMPLIFIES “WE BUILD, WE FIGHT” LEGACY OF U.S. NAVY SEABEES

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Heidi Cheek, Navy Office of Community Outreach GULFPORT, Ms. – “We Build, We Fight” has been the motto of the U. S. Navy’s Construction Force, known as the “Seabees,” for more than 75 years. Petty Officer 3rd Class Dominic Williams, a 2013 Dickinson High School graduate and native of Dickinson, Texas, builds and fights around the world as a member of naval construction battalion center located in Gulfport, Mississippi. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Bradley Gee Williams is serving as a Navy construction mechanic, who is responsible for performing tasks involved in maintenance, repair and overhaul of automotive, materials handling and construction equipment. Williams credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Dickinson. “I learned to keep working hard for what you want in life,” said Williams. Building in austere environments can be a challenge. Fighting in harsh conditions can also be a challenge. Building in austere environments while fighting in harsh conditions takes a special kind of person with a great deal of perseverance and determination. These are the kinds of people serving here at Gulfport, the home of the Atlantic Fleet Seabees. These are the people who provide crucial support to Seabee units deployed around the world. The jobs of many of today’s Seabees remained unchanged since World War II, when the Seabees paved the 10,000-mile road to victory for the allies in the Pacific and in Europe, according to Lara Godbille, director of the U. S. Navy Seabee Museum. For more than 75 years Seabees have served in all American conflicts. They have also supported humanitarian efforts using their construction skills to help communities around the world. They aid following earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters. Williams is playing an important part in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy. A key element of the Navy the Nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, according to Navy officials, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea. “Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.” Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community and career, Williams is most proud of his work to get a hospital running in the Marshall Islands. “We helped them with laying concrete, repairing generators, and troubleshooting problems with various equipment around the hospital,” said Williams. As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Williams and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs. “This command pushes me to be my best,” said Williams. “I love being able to serve and working with such a wide range of people from different backgrounds.”