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The Seabee Grapevine

My name is Normand Dupuis; I host an email SEABEE community affectionately dubbed the “Seabee Grapevine” as part of my volunteer public information campaign. We have Seabees and their family members from all eras, including many from WW II right up to those currently serving today. Anyone can join the Seabee Grapevine and receive frequent e-mail on a wide variety of Seabee related topics. Each email message is sent as a blind copy to all 250 plus members of the Grapevine to protect the privacy of personal e-mail addresses. I will not share your address with anyone without your express permission. If a shipmate wishes, he may be dropped at his request at any time, no questions asked. To be added to the Seabee Grapevine simply send an email request to me at NORMANDChf@aol.com

The SEABEE grapevine described above was born out of the OPERATION SEABEES KNOWLEDGE website at www.seabeesinfohq.org which I co-founded in 2004 with author Joe Buff, son of a SEABEE. After sixteen years as a SEABEE reservist I felt it was necessary to find a way to get the current civilian population and even our own military members more informed about SEABEES past and present. Too many people mistake SEABEES in camouflage uniforms to be Marines, Soldiers, or Navy Seals, but very few recognize them as SEABEES right away. Then there is the problem of trying to adequately describe all the many things that SEABEES do to a clueless person in a few sentences. That isn’t necessary for the other military communities listed above, who have had wide coverage in books, films, magazines, and on television. SEABEES should be just as widely recognized as the others are which is the main goal of our public information effort. We accomplish lots of other fine things at the same time, but you’ll need to get on the grapevine to appreciate all that.

“ATTWOSK! “- All The Way with O.S.K.

Stormin's online shopping website: www.seabeesinfantry.info

Stormin’s Seabee Specialties L.L.C. is an outgrowth of the Operation Seabees Knowledge public information campaign. That effort began in 2003, when retired Chief Equipment Operator Normand O. Dupuis enlisted the help of military analyst and naval fiction author Joe Buff. Together they are attempting to correct the long-standing lack of reporting Seabee activities at the national level. Beginning with the top secret nature of most Seabee activities in WWII, and the war time practice of redesignating Seabee battalions as Marine Engineers in particular campaigns, Seabees have been unrecognized while performing the most daring and dangerous parts of their missions. As a result, citizens today and even fellow military members, are totally unaware of these historic accomplishments. There are many who believe that Seabees disappeared after WWII even though they have continued their “Can-Do” tradition to this very day. Other branches have been fully
recognized in mass media such as films, television, magazines and novels to the extent that they are generically familiar to the public. Seabees, on the other hand, are frequently asked “What are Seabees?”. It is the mission of Operation Seabee Knowledge that Seabees should some day enjoy the same universal recognition as all of their other comrades in arms.

Normand Dupuis
EOC USNR (Ret.)
RNMCB-23, CBHU-14, NMCB-14

Operation Seabees Knowledge

The “ Serving Our Shipmates”

National Compassionate Network

NEEDS YOU !

The “ OPERATION SEABEES KNOWLEDGE “ Grapevine has become a widely shared source of information of all kinds that flows between SEABEES and their families. Occasionally, there are situations of a difficult nature which need rapid responses to pleas for assistance. Up to this point, our ability has been limited to the members of our on line SEABEE community. As the e-mail thread below confirms, there are needs to be met, and we “ CAN DO “ something about it !

Consequently, this solicitation of information on your ability to respond to such needs is the necessary next step to provide a data base that can be accessed when needed by those we call our Shipmates.

Received on the OSK Grapevine in January 2010 :

Hey Chief,

This is a request for some help for a brother Seabee Chief.

My BUC son is deployed in Guam until May, then to Afghan later. He was renting out his house, located in Nashville, GA to his "no load, lazy" brother-in-law & family who over time trashed the house & then moved out in January 2010. Now my son has to pick up the rent & find a way to repair the house so he can move his own family back into it after his return home. The damage is mostly wall board, paint & some windows.

So I'm putting this out to ask if there's any retired SEABEE's in or around the Nashville, GA area that could help the boy out a bit by making some repairs to his house for him.

(DELETED)

Stormin’ “

I just want to throw my 2 cents in here for (DELETED), he and I have a small history together one of which includes a middle of the night call year + deployment, not to mention being in the same unit for over 10 years.

In 2005 while I was deployed to Iraq and on the same Special Forces base with his son (DELETED), (niether of us new the other was there), my home in N.Y. burned to the ground. In typical SEABEE fashion, (DELETED), (who also threw the call out to the Grapevine) and another SEABEE friend of ours brought in equipment to do the final demolition and clean up of the property for my wife. At one point in time I told (DELETED) via email to keep track of his time so I could pay him and he threatened to take all of my tools he had salvaged and put them on E-BAY saying..."Lets see how you like that!"
I guess what I am saying here is this guy wouldn't throw up the flag unless it was more than needed and in my eyes if anyone on this earth deserved the help it's (DELETED) and his family, a guy always there for others when needed.

(DELETED) you know if I weren't so far away these days I'd be there for ya Brother. I'm sure this network will dig a few folks out for some help for the boy. That's what we do!

(DELETED)

Hi Norm -

I don't live any where near that area but I was wondering if there may be a way I can donate some funds to someone, or some way to help that way.

I went through a similar situation way back in '70 when I was deployed to Iceland, and my family was able to be with me after 'Nam, and some renters trashed my place and left a mess!!!

I believe there will be a good response to this fellow Seabee's needs.

Always ready - can do - S/F - Seabees Forever!!

(DELETED)

The “ SERVING OUR SHIPMATES “ NATIONAL COMPASSIONATE NETWORK is the best way to get the help that is needed to the place it is needed. The example above is only the tip of the iceberg. If you believe “ SEABEES take care of our own “ sign up now to prove it ! Every bit of help in any way that you can, will serve to make the point. We have a start on the Grapevine and through the NMCB-14 Alumni Association

Stormin’ says : Let’s “ KICK IT UP A NOTCH “ BAMMM !

Click Here to View Serving our Shipmates National Compassionate Donation Form

The Serving Our Shipmates

National Compassionate Network

Database Example

The chart below illustrates the first group of NMCB-14 volunteers who have offered some type of help for SEABEE Shipmates and families in need. They have responded magnificently when first being informed of this effort, and more will certainly offer themselves as time goes forward.

There has already been a volunteer to help with a combined database for all NMCB-14 dets.

I sent out this request on our Facebook page:

Normand Dupuis

We need volunteers for a few critical positions . Detachment Representatives for each detachment to start with. So far Orlando and Miami have a confirmed DETREP, with another possible in West Palm Beach. Also need a computer savvy person to maintain a database of volunteers willing to help fellow SEABEES through the Serving Our Shipmates National Compassionate Network being introduced throughout the detachments. Orlando already has a good showing of offers to help. Contact me for details. I'm DETREP Program Coordinator.

Personal contact information from the Donation Forms will be included in the database so it can be sorted by location as well as by type of donation offered. As needs are identified, the database can be sorted by type of donation and location so that ptential volunteers can be contacted who are closest to the needy party. Donations of funds can be solicited from far away locations if necessary. A Donation Form is only a means of quickly accessing already offered help, and directly selecting volunteers by type of help offered and location if it is relevant.

Submitting a donation form is not a guaranteed offer of assistance, only an indication of willingness to be contacted on a specific case by case basis, to possibly help with a specific need. Individuals are not obligated to help in any way, but encouraged to do so only within their

eans at the time. Any volunteer’s ability to provide help will vary from time to time, so that if not able to help on a current need, then they may stay in the database to help at some future date. Any volunteer is free to remove themselves from the database at any time, for any reason, ..no questions asked!

This network can include any person or organization with a desire to help, and can accept Donation Forms from any other SEABEE unit or individual with a desire to help SEABEES and their families. The database is intended to be expanded as widely as possible, so that all types of help may be called upon from near or far, as the circumstances require and the volunteers are willing to provide !

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	S.O.S. National Compassionate Network

Det.	Materials	Tools	Labor	Funds	Other	City	State
3			x		Babysitting, etc.	Orlando	FL
3			x		Own a truck	Orlando	FL
3			x			Orlando	FL
3			x	x		Orlando	FL
3			x	x		Orlando	FL
3			x	x		Orlando	FL
3		x	x	x		Orlando	FL
3			x	x	Advertising, Etc.	Kissimmee	FL
3			x	x		Kissimmee	FL
3		x	x		Electronics Expertise,Res. Sec. Systems	Maitland	FL
3				x		Winter Park	FL
3		x	x	x		Cocoa	FL

Normand Dupuis

NMCB-14 Alumni Association

Ways and Means Committee

Detachment Representative Coordinator

Orlando Detachment Representative

Still under construction