Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3's Hospital Corpsman

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3's Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Andrew Fabella rappels down a 63-foot training wall at the Marine Corps Jungle Warfare Training Center at Okinawa's Camp Gonsalves. More than 60 NMCB 3 Seabees are attending the eight-day JWTC course to sustain the battalion's overall readiness as the Pacific region's primary forward-deployed construction battalion prepared to provide conventional combat, counterinsurgency and irregular warfare capabilities. One of the first battalions commissioned during World War II, NMCB 3's legacy stands strong in its ability to build and fight anywhere in the world as either a full battalion or as a group of autonomous detachments, simultaneously completing critical engineering and construction missions. For this deployment, NMCB 3 has split into nine details to perform critical construction projects in remote island areas such as Timor-Leste, Tonga, Cambodia and the Philippines. The teams will also conduct operations in Atsugi, Yokosuka and Okinawa, Japan, Chinhae, Republic of Korea and China Lake, Calif. The naval construction force is a vital component of the U.S. maritime strategy. They provide deployable battalions capable of providing disaster preparation and recovery support, humanitarian assistance and combat operations support. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chris Fahey, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3 Public Affairs Lead)