GULFPORT, Miss. – “We Build, We Fight” has been the motto of the U. S. Navy’s Construction Force, known as the “Seabees,” for more than 75 years. Lt. J.G. Isaac Leskowat, a native of Tulsa, builds and fights around the world as a member of naval construction battalion center located in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Leskowat is serving as a Navy officer in charge, who is responsible for leading Seabees as a project manager.

“I have to make sure that building projects stay on schedule according to plan,” said Leskowat.

Leskowat credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Tulsa.

“Growing up in Tulsa I learned the importance of networking,” said Leskowat. “I was in the Civil Air Patrol, and we’re always trying to get more community involvement for the cadet program. I was able to work with businesses to help grow the youth of our city and nation. If you need something, there’s someone willing to support your mission.”

Building in austere environments can be a challenge.

Fighting in harsh conditions can also be a challenge.

Building in austere environments while fighting in harsh conditions takes a special kind of person with a great deal of perseverance and determination. These are the kinds of people serving here at Gulfport, the home of the Atlantic Fleet Seabees. These are the people who provide crucial support to Seabee units deployed around the world.

The jobs of many of today’s Seabees remained unchanged since World War II, when the Seabees paved the 10,000-mile road to victory for the allies in the Pacific and in Europe, according to Lara Godbille, director of the U. S. Navy Seabee Museum.

For more than 75 years Seabees have served in all American conflicts. They have also supported humanitarian efforts using their construction skills to help communities around the world. They aid following earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters.

Leskowat is playing an important part in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.

A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, according to Navy officials, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans.

More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.

“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”

Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community and career, Leskowat is most proud of humanitarian assistance his unit provided in Tinian in 2018.

“Following a typhoon, we helped with disaster relief efforts to help rebuild homes on an island that had been flattened by the storm,” said Leskowat.

Serving in the Navy is a continuing tradition of military service for Leskowat, who has military ties with family members who have previously served. Leskowat is honored to carry on that family tradition.

“My father was in the Army, and my brother is a chaplain in the Army,” said Leskowat.

As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Leskowat and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.

“The best thing about serving in the military is the friendships you make,” said Leskowat. “The military helps bring out the best in others.  The Navy gives me an opportunity to further my own professional development, while at the same time the opportunity to serve my nation.”