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Jerry Smith, 100 year-old Seabee honored

by Jonn Lilyea••13

Seabee

Will sends us a link to WRALwhich reports that Jerry Smith of Durham, NC was honored as one of the original Seabees, and they used the occasion to also mark his 100th birthday yesterday at the governor’s mansion in Raleigh;

Smith is a “plank owner” in the First Naval Construction Battalion – members of which are called Seabees – which was commissioned on March 15, 1942. He served in the Navy from January 1942 to September 1945.

A Navy plank owner is an individual who was a member of the crew when the ship or command was placed in commission. His battalion is credited with completing construction projects during the war, risking their lives to build hospitals and airfields.

“It’s something we did because it had to be done,” Smith said. “Other jobs I could leave. I couldn’t leave the Seabees, and I’m glad I was in the Seabees.”

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13 thoughts on “Jerry Smith, 100 year-old Seabee honored”

  4. SeaBees – CAN DO!

    A great American story here.

    This first leaders were owners and construction project managers from the countries best firms. They hand picked tradesmen and they were all as hard as the nails they drove.

    Happy 100th CB!

  12. Here are copies of two (02) e-mails that I just now composed and sent out:
    ___________________________

    Comrades in Arms:

    Please click on this INTERNET LINK to read a news report of one of the ORIGINAL SeaBees, who is a “Plank Owner” in the FIRST Naval Construction Battalion!

    Here is the URL for the news article:

    http://m.wral.com/w/localnews/story/98536144/

    Because of the SeaBee volunteers, this certainly merits publishing here at the Armed Forces Retirement Home, but I can’t do it because I’m still too weak.

    I wonder if I’ll EVER get well?

    Thank you.

    John Robert Mallernee
    Armed Forces Retirement Home
    1800 Beach Drive, Unit 311
    Gulfport, Mississippi 39507
    ___________________________

    Mr. Dickerson, Et Alii:

    I thought my printer was kaput.

    But, the SeaBee volunteers just now fixed the carriage jam.

    Thank you to those SeaBee volunteers for doing what I thought was impossible.

    John Robert Mallernee
    Armed Forces Retirement Home
    1800 Beach Drive, Unit 311
    Gulfport, Mississippi 39507
    ___________________________

  13. Go to my web site, “OUR ETERNAL STRUGGLE” (just click on my name), and search for my archived posts, “THE FIGHTING SEABEES”, “SEABEE REENLISTMENT CEREMONY”, and “COMMAND MASTER CHIEF PETTY OFFICER JAMES DALE ‘JIMMY TWO FEATHERS’ FAIRBANKS, UNITED STATES NAVY”.

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