BEFORE THERE WERE SEABEES, THERE WERE TRADESMEN.
If you work in construction, take two minutes to read this.
One of the most legendary combat organizations in American history didn’t start with infantrymen.
It started with construction workers.
Carpenters. Electricians. Equipment operators. Mechanics. Plumbers. Welders. Steelworkers. Surveyors. Engineers. Men who knew how to build a operating staging base out of raw mud and saltwater.
The Problem That Created an Empire of Builders
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The Problem That Created an Empire of Builders
As World War II loomed, the U.S. Navy faced a critical vulnerability: it needed airfields, docks, roads, and hospitals built right on the razor’s edge of the front lines.
Civilian contractors were already on site, but international law barred them from firing back when attacked. Send in civilians, and you hand the enemy easy targets. Send in standard infantry, and nothing gets built.
Rear Admiral Ben Moreell saw the solution: Form military construction units out of master tradesmen.
- January 1942: First construction units authorized.
- March 5, 1942: Official designation approved—Construction Battalions. C.B.s. Seabees.
- Motto: Construimus, Batuimus — “We Build, We Fight.â€
- Culture: CAN DO.
The Navy didn’t recruit kids and teach them how to run a dozer; they recruited seasoned tradesmen and taught them how to shoot. By the war’s end, 325,000 men across 60+ trades served as Seabees.
Heavy Civil Under Fire
Across the Pacific, European, and Mediterranean theaters, Seabees laid down the literal groundwork for victory:
- Normandy (D-Day): Cleared beach obstacles, anchored pontoon causeways, and moved heavy equipment under direct artillery fire.
- Island Hopping: Carved operational airfields out of dense jungle within days of an amphibious assault.
- Combat Innovation: Operating a bulldozer during a landing, Seabee Anthony Tassone used his blade as a shield to charge and crush an enemy pillbox. He was awarded the Silver Star.
During WWII alone, Seabees earned 33 Silver Stars, 5 Navy Crosses, and suffered hundreds of ultimate sacrifices. Years later in Vietnam, Construction Mechanic Third Class Marvin G. Shields would become the first and only Seabee to earn the Medal of Honor after defending his compound and destroying an enemy machine-gun nest despite lethal injuries.
Why Construction Executives Need to Care
That legacy didn’t end in 1945, 1975, or 2011. Modern Seabees return from deployments into our civilian hiring pools every single day.
When a resume lands on your desk with U.S. Navy Seabee listed on it, don’t just glance at the military jargon. Look at the asset standing in front of you:
Seabee Rating | Civilian Equivalent | Core Capability |
Builder (BU) | Carpenter / Mason / Framer | Structural timber, concrete, masonry, finish carpentry. |
Construction Electrician (CE) | Journeyman / Master Electrician | High-voltage distribution, power generation, structural wiring. |
Equipment Operator (EO) | Heavy Equipment Operator | Excavators, dozers, graders, cranes, directional drilling. |
Steelworker (SW) | Structural Ironworker / Welder | Rigging, structural steel erection, heavy MIG/TIG welding. |
Utilitiesman (UT) | Master Plumber / HVAC Tech | Underground utilities, water purification, pipefitting, HVAC. |
Construction Mechanic (CM) | Heavy Diesel Technician | Fleet maintenance, hydraulic systems, diagnostic repair. |
The Challenge to the Industry
Beyond trade certifications, a veteran Seabee brings high-stakes site management, strict OSHA/military safety compliance, crisis leadership, and a baseline refusal to fail when a project plan goes off the rails.
The next time you review a veteran’s application:
Don’t just ask what their rank was.
Ask what they built.
Ask what machinery they ran in zero-visibility conditions.
Ask how they solved the problem when the supply chain failed completely.
Over eight decades ago, America needed tradesmen capable of doing the impossible under fire. Today, our job sites need that same grit. When they finish building for their country, let’s make damn sure we give them a place to keep building at home.
WHO HIRES VETERAN CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS?
Military construction experience is construction experience.
Seabees, RED HORSE, Prime BEEF, Army Engineers and other military construction professionals leave the service with experience in heavy equipment, utilities, electrical systems, structures, concrete, steel, project management, logistics, safety and construction under conditions most civilian contractors will never encounter.
Here are organizations worth knowing.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
NAVFAC — Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command
One of the most natural civilian transitions for former Seabees.
NAVFAC hires:
- Construction Managers
- Construction Engineers
- Engineering Technicians
- Safety & Occupational Health Professionals
- Quality Assurance Personnel
- Contract Specialists
- Public Works Personnel
- Utilities Professionals
- Facility Managers
- Engineers and Architects
- Skilled Trades
Careers: Search NAVFAC positions through USAJOBS.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — USACE
USACE operates one of the largest engineering and construction programs in the federal government.
Potential careers include:
- Construction Control Representatives
- Construction Managers
- Civil Engineers
- Quality Assurance
- Project Management
- Heavy Civil Infrastructure
- Emergency Management
- Environmental Construction
- Dam and Waterway Projects
Department of Veterans Affairs
The VA operates an enormous nationwide portfolio of hospitals, medical centers, clinics and other facilities requiring:
- Facilities Management
- Engineering
- Construction Management
- Safety
- Electrical
- HVAC
- Plumbing
- Maintenance
- Project Management
General Services Administration — GSA
GSA manages federal buildings and infrastructure throughout the country.
Military construction experience can translate into:
- Construction Management
- Facilities Management
- Project Management
- Building Operations
- Contract Administration
- Safety and Compliance
Department of Energy — DOE
Particularly relevant for veterans with experience involving:
- Nuclear facilities
- Industrial construction
- Electrical systems
- Heavy civil construction
- Safety
- Quality
- Emergency response
- Security-cleared environments
DOE work is also performed by enormous networks of prime contractors and subcontractors.
MAJOR CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING CONTRACTORS
Bechtel
This one belongs near the top of the list.
Bechtel specifically recruits military veterans and participates in programs including Helmets to Hardhats.
Veterans can transition into:
- Construction
- Field Engineering
- Project Management
- Supervision
- Heavy Civil
- Energy
- Nuclear
- Infrastructure
- Skilled Crafts
- Safety
Bechtel also operates a Military to Project program intended to help military personnel transition into construction careers.
Kiewit
Another excellent target for military construction professionals.
Kiewit actively recruits veterans and participates in:
- DoD SkillBridge
- Hiring Our Heroes
- Army PaYS
- Helmets to Hardhats
Potential careers include:
- Superintendent
- Field Engineer
- Construction Manager
- Equipment Operator
- Mechanic
- Electrician
- Safety Professional
- Quality
- Heavy Civil Construction
- Transportation
- Power
- Water/Wastewater
Fluor
Fluor specifically maintains recruiting resources for transitioning military members and veterans.
Military experience can translate into:
- Construction
- Crafts
- Operations & Maintenance
- Logistics
- Project Management
- Safety
- Engineering
- Government contracting
- Disaster response
- National security projects
Fluor even provides military occupation/title matching for job searches.
DEFENSE & GOVERNMENT CONTRACTORS
Amentum
A major employer supporting U.S. government and defense operations.
Particularly relevant backgrounds include:
- Facilities
- Construction
- Operations & Maintenance
- Heavy Equipment
- Logistics
- Electrical
- Mechanical
- Utilities
- Aviation support
- Engineering
- Safety
- Base operations
Amentum participates in military transition and SkillBridge opportunities.
V2X
This company deserves attention from transitioning military personnel.
More than 40% of its workforce is reportedly composed of veterans.
V2X supports military installations and operations involving:
- Base operations
- Facilities
- Logistics
- Infrastructure
- Maintenance
- Engineering
- Mission support
- Skilled trades
Its careers site also allows veterans to enter a military occupation code or military job title to identify corresponding civilian opportunities.
HII — Huntington Ingalls Industries
Especially relevant to Navy veterans.
HII reports employing more than 8,000 veterans and has major opportunities involving:
- Shipbuilding
- Welding
- Electrical
- Pipefitting
- Mechanical trades
- Engineering
- Construction-type trades
- Maintenance
- Project Management
- Quality
- Safety
- Logistics
For Seabees accustomed to industrial construction environments, HII is absolutely worth investigating.
OTHER CONTRACTORS WORTH WATCHING
Veteran construction professionals should also regularly investigate opportunities with major federal, infrastructure and defense contractors such as:
- Jacobs
- AECOM
- Parsons
- Burns & McDonnell
- Black & Veatch
- Turner Construction
- Gilbane
- DPR Construction
- Skanska USA
- Granite Construction
- Clark Construction
- PCL Construction
- Mortenson
- McCarthy Building Companies
- Whiting-Turner
- Suffolk Construction
- Hensel Phelps
Do not limit the search to positions containing the word “veteran.”
Search the actual civilian equivalent of the military occupation.
VETERAN-TO-CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMS
Helmets to Hardhats
One of the most important resources for transitioning service members interested in skilled construction trades.
It connects veterans with apprenticeship and career opportunities in union construction trades.
DoD SkillBridge
Potentially invaluable before leaving active duty.
SkillBridge allows eligible transitioning service members to participate in approved civilian employment training, internships and apprenticeships during their final period of military service.
Many large construction and defense companies participate.
Hiring Our Heroes
Connects veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses with employers.
Their fellowship programs can provide a bridge between military leadership/technical experience and civilian employment.
Army PaYS
The Partnership for Your Success program connects participating soldiers with employers committed to providing employment interviews after military service.
FOR THE SEABEE READING THIS
Do not undersell your military experience.
If you were an Equipment Operator, don’t write:
“Drove heavy equipment in the Navy.”
Translate it.
Heavy Equipment Operator — operated and maintained construction equipment supporting earthwork, grading, excavation, material handling and expeditionary infrastructure projects.
If you were a Construction Electrician, don’t simply write:
“Navy electrician.”
Translate the mission into the language employers understand:
Construction Electrician — installed, maintained and troubleshot electrical distribution, generation and facility systems supporting construction and mission-critical operations.
The same applies to:
BU — Builder
Carpentry • concrete • masonry • structural construction
CE — Construction Electrician
Power generation • electrical distribution • installation • troubleshooting
CM — Construction Mechanic
Diesel • heavy equipment • fleet maintenance • troubleshooting
EO — Equipment Operator
Dozers • graders • loaders • excavators • cranes • trucks • earthmoving
SW — Steelworker
Structural steel • welding • fabrication • reinforcing steel
UT — Utilitiesman
Plumbing • HVAC • water • wastewater • mechanical systems
EA — Engineering Aid
Surveying • soils • drafting • estimating • quality control • construction layout
Those aren’t merely military specialties.
Those are construction trades.
🇺🇸 A MESSAGE TO CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYERS
When U.S. NAVY — SEABEE, AIR FORCE — RED HORSE/PRIME BEEF, or ARMY ENGINEER appears on a résumé, don’t treat the military portion as an interesting footnote.
Ask:
What did you build?
What equipment did you operate?
How many people did you lead?
What projects did you manage?
What utilities did you install?
What did you do when equipment failed?
What safety responsibilities did you have?
What happened when the schedule went sideways?
Because you may not be interviewing someone who is trying to enter construction.
You may be interviewing someone who has already been doing it—
just in places where failure had consequences considerably greater than missing substantial completion.
CAN DO.