By Navy Office of
Community Outreach Public Affairs
NORFOLK – A 2014 Midlothian High School graduate and Midlothian,
Texas native is serving in the U.S. Navy with Naval Beach Group TWO (NBG 2).
Seaman Sarjah Longoria is working with the beach group
operating out of Virginia Beach, Virginia.
As a Navy seaman she is responsible for safely transporting people
and equipment on and off the beach during operations.
“My job allows me to experience beach operations that most sailors don't get to experience,” said Longoria.
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.
Longoria serves with BMU2 who provides Naval Beach Party
Teams (BPTs) for deployment in conjunction with Expeditionary Forces in order
to provide beach and surf zone salvage and to facilitate the landing and
movement over the beach of troops, equipment, supplies, and the evacuation of
casualties, prisoners-of-war, and non-combatants.
“This command is great because it is small and family
oriented,” said Longoria. “The leadership shows that they care about you and
your success on a personal level.”
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 given me a thick skin,” said Longoria. “I
realized there is no need to stress or worry about things that are not in my control.”
As a member of the one of the U.S. Navy’s most unique
commands, Longoria 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.