A Seabee relives duty in the Pacific

Nov 23, 2008 (The Buffalo News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- DIS | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- NORTH TONAWANDA -- A life-size bronze statue of a World War II Seabee now commands the U. S. Navy Seabee Memorial in Fisherman's Park on River Road. It was unveiled and dedicated during Veterans Day ceremonies earlier this month, replacing a wooden statue of a Seabee that had stood on the site for about five years.

The memorial was the culmination of a long-held dream of World War II Seabee George H. Trautman Jr., 83, and members of Island X-8 Tonawanda of the U. S. Navy Seabee Veterans of America, a group of about 100 vets.

The statue, sculpted by Brian Porter of Lockport, shows a 6-foot-tall Seabee, helmeted, shirtless, a rifle in one hand and a sledgehammer in the other, "a figure of decisive action and courage," as Porter put it.

Trautman and his fellow Seabee veterans devoted more than two years to the bronze sculpture project.

Niagara Weekend stopped by the new Seabee memorial to talk to Trautman and learn more about this unique battalion of the Navy.

What is the origin of the Seabees? The Seabees were established in 1942

when there was a mammoth need for construction work in the islands of the Pacific. The earliest Seabees were recruited from the construction trades. The word "Seabee" is an acronym from Construction Battalion -- C. B. For our Disney-type insignia, the symbol of the bee was chosen -- over a beaver -- because of its work ethic, and the special battalion was known as the "Bees of the Seven Seas." The average age of the Seabees was 37, but later, younger men were drafted to fill the need. Bulldozer drivers were in short supply, for example. They couldn't get enough. They literally paved

the way to victory. General Douglas MacArthur once said, "The trouble with Seabees is there aren't enough of them."

What got you interested in the battalion?

In 1942 I was a junior in Tonawanda High School. My English teacher, Miss Jean Weber, introduced me to a book called "I Married Adventure," by Osa Johnson. I was fascinated by the trips to faraway places. I had rarely been out of the City of Tonawanda.

Did you sign up or were you drafted?

It all happed quickly. I graduated from Tonawanda High School in June of 1943, and, in September, I was drafted into the U. S. Navy Construction Battalion. In October, I left for boot camp at Camp Perry, Virginia. In December, after four weeks of intensive training and a brief leave home, I was on one of the four Liberty ships -- 1,000 men per ship -- on the Pacific Ocean. I had never seen an ocean before. It was quite an experience.

Where were you headed?

The destination was unknown. After three weeks of zigzagging and crossing the equator, we arrived at our Island X. That's how we got the name of our veterans branch. It turned out to be the island of Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides group of islands.

What happened when you got there?

The Marines would get to these islands first and secure a beachhead. The Marines were dug into holes. The island was just jungle. There were no roads. The island had to have a whole infrastructure built. They needed airstrips, bridges, warehouses, hospitals, housing -- all the things that go with being human beings. That was the job of the Seabees.

Where did you get the materials and equipment to build all that?

It came over with us in the hull of the ship. Everything we needed, from bulldozers to sledgehammers. As soon as we got there, we unloaded all the equipment and started building. We put up Quonset huts for sleeping quarters. We built a church and a hospital and houses for the doctor and dentist. We built a warehouse for spare parts for all the construction equipment, so that if a bulldozer broke down on Guadalcanal, they could get the parts from our island instead of having them shipped from the U. S.

You were obviously kept busy, but what was it like being so far away from home?

It was a lonely place. One day when I was walking by a recreational hall, I heard a Bing Crosby song coming from inside. The song was "Swinging on a Star" and it drew me inside. It was coming from a jukebox, a Wurlitzer jukebox. I recognized it right away and checked the manufacturer's stamp. Sure enough, it was made in North Tonawanda. There I was, 12,000 miles from home and I run into a old friend. All of a sudden I didn't feel quite so lonely.

Did you say something before about cannibals?

They were down there. One day the chief and some members of the Big Nambas tribe came by canoe to our island. As far as we knew they were still into headhunting activities. I was able to get a photo of them. I wrote Miss Weber and told her that never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to come face to face with this tribe. I was on the island for almost two years. All in all, it was quite an adventure for an 18-year-old from Tonawanda.

Was your tour of duty entirely in the Pacific.

It was, and on that one island, but there were more than 350,000 men in the Seabees during World War II, building and fighting off the enemy on six continents and more than 300 islands in the Pacific. In Europe, they built portable harbors for the Normandy Invasion. Underwater demolition was also part of the job -- a skill inherited by modern-day Navy Seals.

What did you you when you got back home?

I went to University of Buffalo on the GI Bill, got a bachelor's degree in engineering and worked for Niagara Machine and Toolworks in Buffalo for 35 years. My wife, Myra, and I raised five children.

You devoted a lot of time to the new Seabees statue in Fisherman's Park.

Nearly two years. I was so anxious for everything to go smoothly. That's why the Veterans Day ceremony was very emotional for me.

You have other interests, I understand.

I'm a volunteer projectionist at the historic Riviera Theatre, currently on call for special tourist groups. I also spent 17 years restoring a 1955 Ford Thunderbird. Goldenrod yellow, 312-cubic-inch engine, eight cylinders, a very powerful machine. I drive it to shows like the Buffalo Thunderbird Club show every year in July and take it out on Cruise Nights. I drive it down to Dunkin' Donuts on Sheridan Drive and shoot the breeze with other veteran car buffs.

Tell me about that other machine, the one in your basement.

It's a jukebox, just like the one that was playing that Bing Crosby song all those years ago on an island in the Pacific. I still play it. To me it's like a time machine. It takes me back to the time I was a Seabee. A wonderful time.

bmichelmore@buffnews.com

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