Native Notes

Talon Vision is a bilateral training exercise designed to improve and maintain the interoperability, combat readiness and professional relationships between the U.S. and Philippine Armed Forces.  It also includes a humanitarian mission.

“Talon Vision is a community relations project and training opportunity with the Marines of the 171 and 172 Marine Wing Support Squadron to provide citizens of the Laguna Province with better living conditions than they’ve ever had,” said Steelworker 1st Class (SCW) Jeremy Nettleton, the NMCB 7 detachment operations officer.

The 29-Seabee detachment will work on two different project sites while in the Philippines, placing six latrine-style restroom facilities over pre-existing structures, 16 hut-style houses with wooden floors, and improving a road that the jungle has nearly reclaimed.

“The living conditions over there are horrible,” explained Nettleton. “For example, the houses they currently have are very fragile and have no floors at all. These are conditions no one should live in and our crew is ready and capable of taking on the challenge of making their village a better place to live.”

“I think this is an outstanding opportunity for us to go out and fulfill the Seabee mission,” said Ens. Ryan Decker, the detachment officer in charge. “Even with a small group like this, we hope we can make a large difference.”

“That’s what I’m looking forward to most; helping those families,” said Builder Constructionman Apprentice Katie Meadows. “This is my first deployment and my first humanitarian mission. I’m excited and motivated because I’m getting out to an experience in the field that not many will be able to encounter.”

The NMCB 7 Seabees will be joined on their mission by the U.S. Marine Corps, Filipino Seabees and the 202 Army Brigade, continuing NMCB 7’s legacy of working on projects in cooperation of not only other services, but other nations.

“This is our third joint-service humanitarian mission this deployment,” said Senior Chief Equipment Operator (SCW) James Sweet, the detachment assistant officer in charge. “We’re really outdoing ourselves this deployment. We’re looking forward to helping these people on a level that will hold up to the expectations the [Cooperation Afloat Readiness Training] and Pacific Partnership missions have laid down for us. We want to win the hearts and minds of the people we help on this contingency mission.”

Do we need a Talon Vision on O’ahu to win the hearts and minds of the homeless on the Wai’anae Coast? Or how about a civil affairs or humanitarian component for all military exercises in Hawai’i?