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In
1965 MCB 11 had a group of 10 TAD assigned to the State Department to do
sensitive work in all of the US Embassies behind the Iron Curtain. There was
a group of 50 Seabees from the east and west coast battalions. This was a
special detachment with MCB 4.
We went from Port Hueneme to Davisville Rhode Island
for special training and then from there to Europe, based in Frankfort
Germany. We only wore civilian clothes and no ranks, only first name basis.
In 1964 they found extensive bugs in all embassies and we went in to do
remedial work, and to get rid of them.
In Poland the State Department estimated that work in
the Embassy was going to take at least 6 months, but we went in and did the
entire project in 6 weeks. In all Embassies we had to work at night so as
not to disturb the daily operation of the Embassy. The most important thing
about it was that we could not fraternize except with the allied embassies.
We only wore civilian clothes because nobody knew we were military, and if
they found out we were military the country would not allow us to be there.
The reason the Seabees were chosen for this project was because before 1964,
a group of Seabees did some projects in Thailand, and did a superb job.
That’s why they wanted Seabees for that special project (Project Demo),
Detachment November.
Attached you can see the list of men from my group, a
picture of when I was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal for services out
there, and commendations received as a group under the leadership of BUC
Goudy. Glad to help bring out some of the unknown history of our great 11 |
