Jackson Free Press

Zechariah Brice builds. Zechariah Brice fights.

The Latin phrase "construimus, batuimus" (translation: "We build. We fight") is the motto of the U.S. Navy Construction Battalion, otherwise known as the Seabees (CBs), to which Brice is assigned.

More specifically, Brice is a construction mechanic who recently returned from a deployment to Bahrain.

A Jackson native and 2005 Lanier High School graduate, Brice and his battalion specialize in advance base construction, battle damage repair, contingency engineering, humanitarian assistance, and disaster-recovery support to fleet and unified commanders, information from the Navy shows.

"It has been great meeting new people from different backgrounds and ethnicity. I have been all over the world and have experienced many different cultures I may not have been able to if I had not joined the Navy," Brice told Navy Outreach, a public-information vehicle the military publishes.

Seabees trace their origins to World War II after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which thrust the U.S. nation into the war, requiring an army of men to build bases and other facilities all over the world, but mostly in the Pacific.

The Seabees were the first soldiers into conflict zones after the Marines and built roads and bridges, airstrips and Quonset huts, lightweight metal structures that provided shelter and storage space, often under fire. At the height of WWII, the Seabees totaled more 325,000 men.

Gulfport is one of two Seabee training sites—the other is in Port Hueneme, Calif.—and received heavy damage during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

During his six-month deployment, Brice's battalion provided engineering support to four combat command areas and made security improvements to bases in Africa and built a submarine support facility in Guam as well.

"Since joining the Navy, I have become a more sociable person," Brice told the naval magazine. "I have also become more accountable for everything. It has been good for me. I have no regrets about joining."