Fightin' for the Seabees

Got a call from a good client - "Hey, we're involved with design and constructing a new memorial to the Navy Seabees. Callin' around to a few consultants to see if you guys can help out. One condition - it's all donation work in support of the project. No compensation involved, but as a thank you major contributors will get their name permanently etched on a brick in the memorial wall honoring the former fighting men. Thought about it for a minute. Not a hard decision - and our regional VP and direct supervisor (and overall good guy, Jack) was a former Seabee ta' boot. "You bet, count us in - although, we want the name of our VP, Jack, on the brick". For our contribution we subsequently scheduled a crew, equipment and field engineer for a day for some preliminary site evaluation.

Never mentioned a word about it to Jack. After completion of the project, during his next visit in town took 'em up there for a surprise visit. He got a bit misty, especially when he saw his eponymous memorial brick. Those were fondly remembered and often quoted times for Jack. No tales of daring combat, but some interesting seat-of-your-pants engineering and construction.

A week or two later get a call from the big cheese corporate CEO himself. He lays into me - "How can you be out there doing work for free?!... that office isn't making any money as it is!! (after a big monthly deduction for corporate overhead)... Now we're liable for anything that goes wrong!!!... what the f*k are you thinking??!!... and this is the same guy who was gloating during his address to our group at the last regional managers conference over personally taking a group of clients on a $32K hunting trip to Texas. Let him rage on, the whole time thinkin' "f*k you too - it took guys bein' buried all across the Pacific to get that memorial built - I only had to piss off one a**hole CEO".

"Thanks for the call - nice talkin' to ya' again, Howell." 

He got over it. Was a decent guy actually - got to pay himself big bucks to chew people out. Probably made five successive similar calls immediately after slamming the phone in my ear.

Internet image - Navy Seabee Memorial, North Tonawanda, NY. That's a pretty cool vintage cable-tool bulldozer. Note the metal sculptured Seabee logo right of the photo. Brick wall to the rear. Think those brick pavers may be etched in memoriam as well - may be wrong (been a while)

Honoring all the fighting men and gals this day