NMCB-21 FEX/FEP:
Beautiful Fort Hunter Liggett:
The culmination of our preparation for war was an event called FEX, Field Exercise, and FEP, Field Evaluation Program. This is where the battalion goes into the field, takes a piece of ground, protects it from the enemy, and completes assigned construction orders or FragO’s. Going into the field I was the assistant company commander of Bravo company, but with my superior being “fleeted up” or promoted to assistant operations officer I found myself in command of the entire company. All of the sudden a master chief, senior chief, a huge team of 1st class petty officers, and 85 hard charging Seabees all worked for me. But let me not get ahead of myself.
Me and Senior taking coffee to the troops:
Seabees arrive to FEX in waves, and Bravo Company is the first one on the scene. One of our companies major responsibilities is camp set up for the FEX(camp of 500+Seabees, 50 pieces of Equipment, latrines, showers, a galley, battalion aid station, 4 Company Command Posts, 2 Combat Operations Centers, Power, etc) . For this task I would send my assistant company commander, a Master Chief and my Operations Petty Officer. It was decided that I would be on the last wave of people to go to the field, accompanying the XO, since the commander was in the field already(I still contend that this made the battalion XO for a short period of time). Either way the XO and I brought the last wave to the field about a week behind the rest of the battalion, who had been moving in waves of 75 for about a week until we finally brought up the rear.
Seabees manning the 240B and holding the line:
The first camp for the battalion is called the LSA, which simulates a secure area behind the front lines of battle. On the night we arrived the galley was serving shrimp and steak, and I was starting to think that the food I had brought in order to avoid MRE’s may go to waste. It wouldn’t but more about that later. The LSA was a more secure area and included amenities like showers, the only problem was that the battalion was slated to move to a FOB, or Forward Operation Base, the morning after we had arrived. This meant night operations through the night to be mounted out for a move in the morning. At the LSA and at the FOB members were to sleep in their one man tents. I am almost certain that these tents were designed for a 5’4” 130 pound guy, but am sure they were not designed for me, at 6’1” and 250lbs it was a struggle to fit me and all of my gear into this tiny tent.
The next day the battalion started leaving for the FOB. The movement lasted 3 days, and again the XO and I would bring up the tail end. The FOB was located in and unsecured area, with threats of direct enemy attack(small arms and vehicles), indirect fire(mortars and rockets), and gas attacks(self-explanatory). Everything from the movement on would take place in a tactical environment, similar to what we would experience in Afghanistan. This would prove to be the most fun training I have experienced.
Command Post Ops (Tony hard at work, Nice elf boots Alf)
When I arrived on scene at the FOB it was late at night and dark, since we were in blackout conditions so the enemy could not find us. There was a defensive perimeter established around the camp that included more that 8 crew served weapons(heavy machine guns) and some concertina wire(heavy stranded barbed wire). But at this point I was just tired. I found my company’s combat post, and luckily there was an empty cot that I commandeered and put to use by falling right asleep on. The next thing I remember is one of my Chiefs running into the tent coughing like he had come down with the plague, and everyone around me wearing gas masks. This would be the first of many gas attacks over the next few days. Each time there was CS gas canisters were opened and the air was filled with chocking gas….what fun. Gas masks and CBR(Chemical, Biological, Radiological) suits would be worn and kept on until the threat was subdued.
FEX/FEP would last another two weeks. During these two weeks I slept in my company CP as opposed to the small one man tents, solved one problem. The other unpleasant part of FEX was the food. MRE’s everyday are hell. Luckily I brought 4 cases of Cup-o-noodles, and since I am the armory officer, my cup-o-noodles were escorted along with my weapons by three armed guards! That’s one way to make sure you don’t have to eat MRE’s(meals ready to eat).
Company CP (my "room" is behind the Camo Curtain)
The duration of FEX would bring attacks on our lines by armed enemy troops, firing at us(blanks) and us firing blanks back. We also had some flares incase lines were getting attacked. Once morning we were being shot at from an armed vehicle and I decided to shot the flare into the air over the vehicle to illuminate the sky. Because of bad aim, I skipped the flare off the hood of the vehicle scaring the life out of the aggressors, and eventually getting yelled at for it. It was damn good fun.
We would return from 2 weeks in the field needing showers badly, and craving things like a burger and a beer. Eventually we would realize we were just stuck in Pt. Hueneme for another month!
Chaps singing for Ash Wednesday Mass:
