Seabees in the Afghan Desert: NMCB 133 and Operation SWIFT FREEDOM

By James P. Rife, History Associates

In the aftermath of 9-11, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133 became one of the first units to strike back against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in the Global War on Terrorism.  Already one of the most storied CB (“Seabee”) units within the U.S. Navy, NMCB 133 is perhaps most famous for its bloody landing on Iwo Jima during WWII, where it sustained a twenty-five percent casualty rate. In late 2001, this unit once again contributed heavily toward the success of an American invasion force.

NMCB 133 swung into action in November 2001, when one of the battalion’s detachments joined Joint Task Force 58 led by USMC Brigadier General James Mattis. The initial plan called for 150 Seabees with over forty pieces of heavy equipment to fly in with the Marines, then build and maintain a forward airfield in remote southern Afghanistan. But the sheer distance of the assault, 441 miles inland from the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu in the Arabian Sea, reduced the force to a “bare bones” of twenty-seven Seabees and only nine pieces of equipment. 

Called Operation SWIFT FREEDOM, the assault took place on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 2001.  The first wave of Marines from the 15^th Marine Expeditionary Unit landed by helicopter at an abandoned airstrip located about 55 miles southwest of Kandahar. There they established an initial forward operating base, called Camp Rhino.  Soon four planeloads of additional Marines landed, and the next day the small force of Seabees from NMCB 133, under Lieutenant Commander Len Cooke, arrived in two Air Force C-17s. 

The primitive nature of the unpaved Camp Rhino airstrip called for Seabee ingenuity.  Situated in a dry riverbed, planners feared that it would rapidly deteriorate under the weight of the incoming C-17 and C-130 transports, making it unsafe to land or take off.  Moreover, helicopters attempting to operate at the base created hazardous brown-out conditions as their rotors kicked up dirt and dust that threatened to blind pilots and choke engines. The airstrip’s remoteness also meant that getting the proper materials to stabilize the runway in the required quantities and time was unfeasible. 

In response, the Seabees devised a way to use the more clay-like soil found deeper underground as a stabilizer.  Each day they cleared the spoiled surface dirt generated by the previous night’s air operations, and then replaced it with the dug-up clay-like material, wetting it down with what little water was available and then rolling it to create a temporary hard surface.  This “just-in-time” method allowed the runway to stay operational for nearly two months.  To facilitate helicopter operations, the Seabees imported a spray-applicated soil stabilizer that came to be known as “Rhino snot,” effectively reducing the dust levels.  

The Seabees were also part of the initial security force at Camp Rhino, living up to their motto, “With Compassion for Others, We Build, We Fight.”  Some NMCB 133 personnel and equipment were later moved to Kandahar where, working 24 hours a day, the unit began making the airbase there operational. The non-stop, “can do” attitude of the Seabees proved critical to the combat success of the Afghanistan operations. For its efforts, the unit was later awarded the Naval Battle “E” as well as the Peltier Award, recognizing it as the year’s best Naval Mobile Construction Battalion.

In January 2003, NMCB 133 deployed to Kuwait and took part in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and also assisted in the clean-up at its home port of Gulfport, Mississippi, following Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.  

Marines watch as Navy Seabees level the dirt landing strip used by heavy aircraft outside Kandahar. Photo by Master Chief Photographer’s Mate Terry Cosgrove, USN. Courtesy of defendamerica.mil

A sentry from U.S. Navy Mobile Construction Battalion 133 provides perimeter security for a C-17A Globemaster III aircraft at Camp Rhino. The Seabees' arrival was the first ever successful strategic airlift operation by a C-17 aircraft onto an undeveloped dirt landing strip. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Efrain Gonzalez, USAF. Courtesy of defendamerica.mil