Big General I will! Thanks for the input. When are you joining and what rate?

I’m studying for the asvab now but i want to be a sw

Big General I will definitely make a video going over the Seabees, stay tuned! I will make that my next video. Definitely keep an open mind, but SW isn’t bad at all!

How’d it go bud? Hoorah or hoonah?

I’m looking join navy for sea bee to do sw

Edit to Correct my diatribe below. Somehow, I read "Somalia" instead of "Bosnia", so my time frame was off. I think I was deployed to Spain while you guys were in Bosnia. Some of our guys had to transfer caskets of those heading home under a flag. They came through Rota, Spain on the way to Delaware. I was an SW1 with NMCB 7 at that time, deployed to Okinawa. Halfway through our deployment, we sent a portion of our battalion to cover your Guam deployment when 133 got diverted to Somalia. I was the first Seabee to arrive in Guam for that, and I single-handedly had 24 hours to do a turnover of the projects and learn everything about k-span buildings and how to operate the machines and set them up. The next day, I started receiving personnel from our detachment sites who were diverted to Guam. I then had to train them on the K-spans. We had 29 K-spans to build, and a couple of other projects. The DET personnel arrived over several days from different DET sites. Every time personnel arrived, I had to quickly train them and get them up to speed with the projects and how to build K-spans. I also had to go through 32 project packages and update them. I should also mention, that when I left Okinawa, I was given only 24 hours to retrograde materials for my project there and update the project package, pack and organize all of my gear and cruise box, pick up my orders and go through the entire battalion check out procedures, plus I had to contact my professor for the class I was taking through the University of Maryland campus at Kadena Air Base. I had just taken the mid-term exam the night before. My professor told me if I could take the Final Exam before I leave, I would get credit for the entire course. So I managed to go over to Kadena and take my Final Exam without benefit of the class material, but I did spend a couple of hours speed reading the text book. To say that I was maxed out in time management would be a huge understatement. I got it all done and arrived in Guam extremely tired and the extreme time management continued for the next few weeks. Did I get a Navy Achievement Medal? Nope! Not even a thank you or slap on the back. All I have from that is my individual personal pride.

Kirk Hensley it’s pretty cool, walking distance to town and the beach!

HQ always had crazy schedules, especially during homeport. Alpha, Bravo, Charlie & Delta Companies. “ muster n make it”. The joy (and it was) of being an EA. Can Do. Thanks for vids. Things changed since my days. 79-99. Stay strong.

That's why 'Bees were called the Green Machine!

74! Fearless. I was as well. 96-99.

And the active side is way more military and strict.the reserves are lax.alot of uniform and weapons and room inspections and standing watches.especially when deployed.any questions u have feel free to ask.

How hard is it to switch to active?

​@timhenderson6473 hey man, im not in the Navy but been contemplating between Navy Seabees or Coast guard, is being in the seabees always pretty stressful or is it more of a strict but not super stressful job?

If you’re a BU you won’t be doing anything especially if it’s during homeport you’re literally going to be off work at 10am I’m not joking. The Seabees are on rotation, in Mississippi you go to Spain or Guam, Seabees in Spain go to the project site if you get a good command you’ll have weekends off. Seabees train for combat situations I even train with them and I am a YN.

KrispyKidTay good luck today! Let me know how it went!

@@mrspiderbear7118 yeah I'm doing the Pact Seaman program because I don't really know what I want to do and my real goal is to be a Seal or in any special forces unit

KrispyKidTay are you crazy ?! You should of choose BU you know Seabees get to deploy with special warfare units to support them. Obviously not go on missions with them but your probably going to a hazardous area to build FOBs and your helping and supporting on making a difference

@@useruser-pc1vc A CE friend of mine was invited to do missions with the Seals.

It's a very broad spectrum of things, depending on your type of duty station and your particular assignment in that unit. Also, assignments can change. Training cycles and evolutions will keep you on your toes as your work environment will change with those training requirements. When I was a kid, the army had a recruiting commercial that said, "we do more by 9 o'clock than most people do all day". I think that commercial should have been made for the Seabees. Your training will be evenly split between classroom instruction and field training. It's a world class education you won't get anywhere else, and you'll have no student loans to pay back. In fact, the military will subsidize your education. As an SW, you are a Seabee first, and that covers a lot of territory that is common to ALL Seabees. Then, you are a SteelWorker. That covers everything from busting rebar, to welding and fabricating, to rigging and erecting steel structures, to sheetmetal layout and fabrication, to hardfacing construction equipment, building bridges, constructing/repairing/and deploying pontoon causeways, and more. You will also be expected to assist heavily with the BUs (builders), so you will also be involved in everything from concrete placement, mixing mortar, block and brick work, drywall, interior finishes, exterior finishes, carpentry, etc. As a SteelWorker, I also assisted the UTs (utilitiesmen) with plumbing, and CEs (Construction Electricians) with pulling wire or mounting electrical boxes. It's difficult to explain the Seabees because experiences and assignments can be so broad and different for individuals, with still a lot of commonality across the board.

KriPtiC KloWn CEs work on generators primarily. Stand a lot of generator watch during exercises. They also do a lot of hooking up lights and GFCIs. Other than that, you could be lucky to be put on a project to do electrical work.

Christopher Ware haha yeah! They’re expanding the camp. Which means destroying the forrest. It is looking really bare tbh

@@mrspiderbear7118 glad the Navy figured out we're not going to the shitbox indefinitely! I was in one of the last Battalions to use the on camp galley. Then we shifted to the base galley which was worse than our own cooks. LOL

Christopher Ware now we get Per Diem good enough to buy our own food! They figured out that the galley wasted too much work time.

I was wondering that myself. Anyone remember having to be on the reactionary platoon sleeping quarters right behind the old QD.

@@MrEagles9359 Yep! I was React Force Team Leader. Had to protect the armory!

Good luck, brother. It’s gonna be a change for sure. Most Seabees wish they were marines, typically not the other way around. But best of luck to you!

@@mrspiderbear7118 Nope! Most Seabees enjoy their roll working alongside Marines. I never wanted to be a Marine. With four consecutive battalions and 11 deployments under my belt, and usually assigned to the Air Detachment, or Team Leader for our React Team, I got my fill of range time, field training, AND I got to build stuff. I was also a range coach for a season. I may have more time in the field than a lot of marines.

yoo i ship july 22nd

alex cool cool what’s your rate?

alina ut wby?

davidenglish2003 not one bit haha

I was there in '96/'97 with NMCB133 and it has not changed at all. My roommate( he was a SW) and I(UT) had a cat living in our room, we named him Gato.

@@scott7598 sounds like the same situation in 2019 haha

@@scott7598 i was there with 3 in '94-95. Was Otis the drunk Bassett hound still there

Everyone has the same C school - Expeditionary Combat Skills (ECS). It consists of combat life saver, land navigation, convoy security, some other general combat training, and two weeks of range class (M9 and M4). It’s 26-28 days long, pretty fun, and informational to be honest.

To Ace the test, 100%, always go for the top. Pay attention in class and get as much practical experience as you can in the outside world before you go in. And have your heart in it. Got that! 100% heart. Mean it. Love your work. Bee the best.

808avgjoe53 agree. Go for the gusto. Only couple of rates in Navy I didn’t qualify for. I wanted to do architecture and EA was for me advancement sucked as small rate. Get detailed billets and other special units and that helps. I did tours in 3 n 4 battalion wise. Fortunate to split sea pay. My first duty station was 2 years in Bermuda. Then only had to do 2 years battalion. Plan it right and it works out well. Air Dets were blast during FEX.... And anytime u can get on a detachment while on deployment, take it. My first det was to Sigonella. Had spat with the Ops Chief. Had choice. Report chit or next flight to det Sigonella. No brainer there. Will always cherish when we can do disaster relief and community projects. Not that you want disasters. But training pays off. You roll and get things done.

Jamez Kpal I mean the seabees aren’t anything special anymore tbh. There’s a lot of different projects and knowledge you can get that translates to the civilian sector with them though. What do you do/did in the Army?

@@mrspiderbear7118 I was artillery.

@@mrspiderbear7118 What was your rate? You must be one of those one and done Seabees who had a real cush deployment. From your video, it looks like you had it real easy.

Lunch Cake I don’t know of TMT... 🤔 but CSE is a bomb ass gig! GMs won’t go on this, unfortunately. But if you are one of the 40 or so people that get this training and experience, it will be one you NEVER forget. I love my time on CSE!

@@mrspiderbear7118 Do you know how to get this training? Like what do I have to do in order to increase my chances of getting accepted?

Lunch Cake honestly, there’s no training needed, per se, it depends on who you know. It could be random, but if you have contacts, they might be able to ensure CSE has a spot open for you. It depends on rate and pay grade. It’s all about who you know rather than what you know.

Lunch Cake I was CSE and had a blast! I am an ET and ETs have to maintain an AIR DET and a CSE, both of which I’ve done. It’s a once in a lifetime experience.

@@mrspiderbear7118 alright thanking for all the information. I am enlisting to become a builder!

Lunch Cake it is possible. We have a GM3, GM2, and GM1 billet for our battalion. So it is unlikely, but possible. Connections help, to be honest.

@@mrspiderbear7118 alright thanks

Lunch Cake You can be a Gunners Mate at ACB-2 in Norfolk as they have fleet rates. We had Gunners Mates that issued the weapons whenever we needed them for the gun range or field exercises.

GMs always loved being in battalion and most fleet sailors did too. ITs a different world. The year I was on ship was whimsy compared to day to day life of sailors. MSC did all the work. Shorts, T shirts and sneakers were uniform. CMs n EAs went on those ships. Learned quickly that BMs had that Seabed knack of getting things done.

The two main locations are Mississippi and California, but theoretically, they can go to many different locations. DEVGRU, Camp David, State Department, and Public Works all over the world are also pretty popular within the Seabee community.

Skies the limit. Wiork hard. I’m one of few fortunate to have visited Camp David, but not stationed. Went to see my former EA3 pin on CWO. State Dept & Camp David are just few top billets. I think there are BUs and CEs on the USS Constellation. Or used to be. As an EA I was fortunate to get an oceanographic survey ship. As fleet worthy as I could be lol. Love land better. But great experience. Can Do spirit I knew how to get in trouble. But survived for 20 and forever blessed

Antarctica

@@MrTherater1 been there, done that. McMurdo station.

J P make sure to put the notifications on, as I am working on a new video. I lost my charger to my laptop so I’m working on getting another one. I will be answering all the questions I have been getting. To briefly answer your question, CM is one of the better rates in the Seabees. You get a lot of hands on experience, decent promotion, and a lot of comradeship. Alfa types stick together. They work long hours and get dirty, but it’s definitely, in my opinion, a decent gig if you want to learn. If you want to skate and get the GI bill after your first contract, probably not the job for you.

Be prepared to fix all the stuff us EOs break is the only advice I got

@@scrapguy101 how about securing the rate at meps?? My scores are good for it

@@scrapguy101 lolz...hahaha, so very true!!

They still exist

During deployment, it’s typically 7am-5pm with an hour or two lunch break Monday through Saturday. And then you have duty. During homeport, it’s typically 7am-4pm with an hour lunch break Monday through Friday. And then you have duty. Many times, we have exercises or other things going on that change these hours. There are many exercises every year that are 24-hour operations, so you might have 12 hour, 16 hour, or even “sleep whenever you can” shifts.

mr spider bear gotta add the Gunnies PT time before sunrise while deployed. 😏. The memories.

We had 3-5 CSs in the Bees. At homeport, civilians take care of the galley. CSs take care of the barracks and work with supply a lot. At FTX, they run MREs and make some food. On deployment, they work with civilians to run the barracks. When they don’t need to be used there or the galley, the work with supply. Overall, it’s not common for a CS to go to the Seabees. And to be honest, if you want to further your career, it doesn’t help. But... it’s an easy gig.

@@mrspiderbear7118 Okay thanks and also I hear it’s hard to apply or pick for a Seabee rate, is that true?

@@dragonglib6076 I’m not too sure about needs of the navy in that regards but there are not many people in the seabees compared to the rest of the fleet. Plus, it seems that the need for seabees is decreasing.

elizpink94 join the Seabees? Or military in general?

Seabees

elizpink94 I’m working on an informational video about the Seabees, I will through some advice in there as well. :)

Ok thank you!

Alexys Alvarez I mean they drive heavy equipment, I think it’s a good job inside and outside of the military. Alfa types typically hate being apart of Alfa though.

mr spider bear oh okay, I haven’t seen many videos y’all about the EOs so I was starting to get a little worried that it was a crappy job lol. Thank you though, I ship out May 27th.

Edward Hull I’m currently an ET in the bees. I am cross-rating to a CTI to learn Arabic though!

mr spider bear there any social media platform I can talk to you brother?

@@EHJ95 ET is not a Seabee rate. The Seabees keep one around to calibrate equipment. It's easy street to be an ET in a Seabee battalion.

@@tangoindiamike9189 those guys have the shiny ass boots. ⚓ I was an EO..

@@seabeechief99 Cool! I knew this one EO who would giggle and say, "diggy dirt" every time he got on a piece of equipment. He loved playing in the dirt!

Low

Carly Gordon I got a 46 good enough?

It’s like 30 something

Tecumseh I am trying to work on a video that goes in depth on seabees. I am, however, very busy getting ready for our turnover of gear and projects. My next video will be a big guide on Seabees. I am writing my “script” daily, I just haven’t had time to get in front of the camera. But it’s gonna be great! I am interviewing each rate. Besides that, though, I would say UT is a great job as a civilian! HVAC is going to always be needed and those workers get a pretty penny. If that’s your goal, I’d say go forward with not only getting free school, you’re getting paid to learn it! There are two main locations Seabees go, Mississippi and California. Although California seems like the life, the majority typically go to Okinawa. Just Okinawa. Mississippi sees a variety of countries if you’re a seabee. We (Mississippi) pushed out 19 detachments this deployment. “Fleeters”, or support rates, typically go to Okinawa on west coast and Guam or Spain on the East coast. Feel free to ask any more questions you have! I am trying to find time to make this video explaining it all, but as I mentioned earlier, I’ve been incredibly busy.

mr spider bear thankyou. I’m guess I’m wondering what the chances of me seeing combat are because, and correct me if I’m wrong, but seabees are sorta like combat engineers for the navy? Also will I receive training outside of my speciality?

Tecumseh the chances of seeing combat are minimal as a UT. They are combat engineers but realistically are for, nowadays, humanitarian purposes. Unless another war breaks out, we are trying to gain companionship by helping other countries. But if a hurricane strikes the southeast, we are there to help if the governor allows.

@@Ashurbanipal7446 I spent 8 years in the Seabees as a UT. First advice is learn as much as you can about HVAC as possible, it will help you when you get out. I wish I took my Dad's advice cause I would own a business now if I did. They always say NAVY stands for Never Again Volunteer Yourself. Screw that, take this time to see the world. I try to say I never regret doing anything I did in life BUT the one thing I do regret was getting out of the service when I look back at it now. And this last bit of advice is for you and anyone else in the military, any time you get hurt have it documented in your Med record, can't tell you how many times I have heard, "man up, your fine" but 25 years later the things that I was manning up are now not covered by the VA because it was never documented. Good luck, stay safe and thanks for your service!!!

Hell yeah man!!! When do you ship?

mr spider bear June 3rd

Tyler are you going in as an E-1?

mr spider bear unfortunately yeah, I’m hoping to take leadership roles in rtc and getting e-2 or e-3. I’ll be 27 when I ship.

Tyler I made E-2 from taking the test within the first few days of boot. Study up on navy knowledge a bit and as long as you pass the first PRT, you could also get E-2 that way. It saves nine months. Also, if you finish within the top 2 in your class in A School, you get turbo-crowed to E-4 with an extension.

Touché. But 6 months away from family is 6 months. When you go to a different country with sometimes limited communication due to capability or time zone issues for 6 months every year or two, it hurts families. No matter where you go. Just because it’s “more safe” than other sites, it’s still losing time with the ones you love.

@@mrspiderbear7118 im a seabee bro. If i can go party everyday and get hammered whats the difference? Lol.

Everyone has their own opinion. Thank you for sharing yours.

@@mrspiderbear7118 I love Rota, Re-upped for PDW Rota. Was walking into the EM club when Challenger blew up Even then we had morning Quarters, but I still see the old MLO, CTR and Alpha Co yard. 6 months every year or two? We we seven out and seven in, but unless you were going to school or a jobsite- it was Muster and Make it.

@@Bryant201 seems someone is a little salty, you know he didn't get to pick his deployment sites right.