“We Build, We Fight” has been the motto of the U. S. Navy’s Construction Force, known as the “Seabees,” for more than seven decades. The Navy Seabees are an elite group of personnel trained in both combat and the craft skills of the construction industry.
Constructionman James “Jax” Hammer, a native of University Place, Washington, builds and fights around the world as a member of naval construction battalion center located in Port Hueneme, California.
Hammer is serving as a Navy utilitiesman, who is responsible for various utilities, plumbing, boilers and water treatment.
Building in austere environments can be a challenge. Fighting in harsh conditions can also be a challenge. Building in austere environments while fighting in harsh conditions takes a special kind of person with a great deal of perseverance and determination, according to officials with the U.S. Navy History and Heritage Command. These are the kinds of people being trained at Port Hueneme, to provide crucial support to Seabee units deployed around the world.
The jobs of some of the Seabees today have remained unchanged since World War II, when the Seabees paved the 10,000-mile road to victory for the allies in the Pacific and in Europe, said Lara Godbille, director of the U.S. Navy Seabee Museum.
“I enjoy the structure and the skills the Seabees train me in and the opportunities available to me that they provide as a warfighter,” Hammer said.
Seabees have served in all American conflicts for nearly 80 years. They have also supported humanitarian efforts using their construction skills to help communities around the world following earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters.
Hammer is a 2013 Curtis High School graduate. According to Hammer, the values required to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in University Place.
“Being in high school and college athletics taught me about discipline, self-reliance and how to deal with unpredictability in a positive mindset,” Hammer said.
Port Hueneme is the West Coast homeport of the Navy’s Seabees. It’s one of five learning sites in the Center for Seabees and Facilities Engineering domain. They train and develop sailors, soldiers, airman, and Marines in construction trades and military skills for Department of Defense operating forces to accomplish contingency and peacetime construction, chemical, biological, and radiological operations, and humanitarian assistance missions worldwide.
Port Hueneme and the men and women who serve there play a key role in the Navy’s broader mission of protecting American interests on the world’s oceans.
According to Navy officials, maintaining maritime superiority is a vital part of a Navy that is present today and prepared for tomorrow. The impact affects Americans and their interests around the world, as more than 70 percent of the Earth is covered by water and 90 percent of all trade travels by sea.
The foundation of the Navy the nation needs includes a focus on warfighting, warfighters and the future of the fighting force.
“I am confident that we will maximize the Navy we have today while delivering the Navy that our nation will rely upon tomorrow,” said Adm. Mike Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations. “We will do so with urgency. Our fleet will be a potent, formidable force that competes around the world every day, deterring those who would challenge us while reassuring our allies and partners.”
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community and career, Hammer is most proud of being awarded a plumbing handbook by his instructors in utilitiesman initial training school.
“This handbook is awarded to someone who in the words of my instructor ‘was a big contributor to the class’,” Hammer said. “Our class received the most awards out of any class for that whole year, so I think it was a big turning point for the classes coming in to see that example as well.”
Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Hammer, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Hammer is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My grandfather was an ensign, a supply officer, in the Navy during WWII on D-Day and he served aboard a ship that crossed the English Channel 66 times,” Hammer said. “His ship is one of few in his fleet not destroyed by underwater mines. I also have an uncle who was a lieutenant junior grade, a communications officer, in the Navy that served during the Vietnam War.”
As a member of the U.S. Navy, Hammer, as well as other sailors, know they are a part of a service tradition providing unforgettable experiences through leadership development, world affairs and humanitarian assistance. Their efforts will have a lasting effect around the globe and for generations of sailors who will follow.
“I feel honored to be a part of a unique branch of the Navy where we build and fight around the world while providing humanitarian assistance to those in need,” Hammer said.
