Seabee Teams in Vietnam 1963–1968

In Southeast Asia the Seabees have come face to face with Communist subversion, terrorism and general unrest. In Thailand they are assisting the host Government in educating the rural Thais on the value of their citizenship under their legal and rightful Government in Bangkok. In Vietnam a similar program is in effect whereby the Teams are working on rural development projects which will assist the Vietnamese in governing their land once peace has returned. It is in Vietnam that members of the Seabee Teams have found themselves fighting a ?hot? war in the midst of their counter-insurgency operations of peaceful technical assistance.I could continue to boast proudly of the Seabee Teams and their accomplishments. Also, I could go into a lengthly discussion as to the possible future uses of these Individually-trained, highly-effective socio-economic development Teamst but I would just be reiterating what already appears on the following pages of this booklet.In 1957 the American Ambassador to Thailand said the Seabee Teams have shown the rural Thai people the best of America, I would like to go one step further and say that the Seabee Teams are the very best of what America has to offer all of our developing and emerging brother nations. In this context I feel that the Seabee Team program, worldwide, could not have a brighter future of Helping Others Help Themselves through socio-economic assistance. And, at a cost that is not a burden to either the American Government or the American taxpayer.Rear Admiral William M, Heaman Civil Engineer Corps, U. S, Navy Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Jan. 13, 1969