By Navy Office of
Community Outreach Public Affairs
NORFOLK – A 2007 Thornapple Kellogg High School graduate and
Grand Rapids, Michigan native is serving in the U.S. Navy with Naval Beach
Group TWO (NBG 2).
Petty Officer 2nd Class Ben Nyhuis is a construction
mechanic with the beach group operating out of Virginia Beach, Virginia.
A Navy construction mechanic is responsible for maintenance
of construction equipment.
“I enjoy the hands-on work of my job,” said Nyhuis. “I am
able to gain knowledge easier by working on the equipment directly.”
Commissioned in 1948, NBG 2 is designed to organize,
man, train and equip forces to execute, combat support, and combat service
support missions.
NBG 2 is made of four commands, Assault Craft Unit TWO (ACU
2), Assault Craft Unit FOUR (ACU 4), Amphibious Construction Battalion TWO
(PHIBCB 2), and Beach Master Unit TWO (BMU 2); who have their own individual
missions that assist to ensure the overall mission of NBG 2 is complete.
Nyhuis serves with PHIBCB 2 who regularly embark aboard the
ships of amphibious ready groups (ARGs) deployed to the Mediterranean Sea,
Indian Ocean, Adriatic Sea, and throughout the Atlantic area from the coasts of
Norway to South America to include the Caribbean Sea. Since the Millennium,
Naval Beach Group detachments have supported routine exercises and ARG
deployments..
“Everyone at this command is really approachable and gives
me as sense of inclusion,” said Nyhuis
Approximately 30 officers and 300 enlisted men and women
make up the beach group. Their jobs are highly specialized and keep each part
of the command running smoothly. The jobs range from operating boats to
maintaining engines and handling weaponry.
"The Sailors here never
cease to impress me with the effort they put into their daily work," said
Capt. Jeffrey Hayhurst, commodore commander of NBG 2. "Their dedication
and hard work make me proud to be in command of Naval Beach Group Two."
Although NBG 2 is made up of four separate commands, they
all work together to complete their mission of providing the Navy
personnel and equipment to support an amphibious operation or exercise.
These exercises can include evacuation
of American citizens from a hostile territory, delivery of food and medical
supplies after a natural disaster, the bulk delivery of fuel or fresh water
from a ship anchored off the coast through a pipeline to a shore facility, and
nearly any other task that involves moving from ships offshore to the beach.
“The Navy has taught me a sense of responsibility and hard
work,” said Nyhuis. “If you work hard towards your goals, you can accomplish
them.”
As a member of the one of the U.S. Navy’s most unique
commands, Nyhuis and other NBG 2 Sailors understand that they need to have the
ability to complete a variety of missions to help keep America safe from
enemies foreign and domestic.