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Continuing the Seabees’ Legacy: A Texas A&M Graduate’s Role

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Sailors assigned to the U.S. Navy’s Construction Force build and fight around the world. Eighty-two years ago, in 1942, those serving as part of the Navy Construction Battalions were nicknamed “Seabees” – a creative play on the ‘C’ and ‘B’ initials. It falls on the battalion to ensure military bases, airfields, underwater construction projects, and humanitarian efforts are built to a high standard of quality.

The Seabees live by a motto: ‘We Build, We Fight’. A Texas A&M graduate, Lt. j.g. Tanner Dotson shares it as well. Dotson is a Civil Engineer Corps officer who currently serves with the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11 at the headquarters for naval construction forces in Gulfport, Mississippi, the Atlantic Fleet Seabees’ home base.

Dotson is a native of Southlake, Texas, who earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University in 2021. He joined the navy three years ago, bringing his education, skills, and Texas values into play, explaining, “I joined the Navy because I didn’t really see myself doing anything else. I was interested in the Civil Engineer Corps and wanted a mix of applying my engineering skills with the actual military experience.”

90 per cent of global commerce travels by sea, and access to the internet relies on the security of undersea fiber optic cables. The prosperity of the United States, and keeping these venues secure, means recruiting and retaining talented people from across America is paramount.

Dotson serves a Navy that operates far forward and around the clock and has had many opportunities to achieve accomplishments through his military service in the future, though he’s already accomplished an impressive amount. He takes pride in serving America through his military service, saying, “In Officer Candidate School, I tutored one of my classmates to help her pass her test so she could graduate,” said Dotson. “It was kind of cool seeing that I had a direct effect on someone actually graduating. Serving in the Navy means service. I think people sometimes lose sight of that.” He continues, “When we’re deploying, we’re there to help people. I think it’s okay to break your back to help others and put in the time to make their lives better. That’s one of the coolest parts of this job – the humanitarian things we do. We were just in Ghana where we built a one-story primary school and donated textbooks for them.”

Dotson is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible – they lent support throughout and helped him define who he is. “I want to thank my parents, Paul and Grace,” added Dotson. “I feel like my character and personality wouldn’t be what it is without them. They taught me all the skills I know.”

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