By Navy Office of
Community Outreach Public Affairs
NORFOLK – A 1994 Santa Fe Vo-Tech High School graduate and
Santa Fe, New Mexico native is serving in the U.S. Navy with Naval Beach Group
TWO (NBG 2).
Chief Rio Brown is a boatswain’s mate with the beach group
operating out of Virginia Beach, Virginia.
A Navy boatswain’s mate is responsible for steering the ship
and maintaining control of small boat evolutions while conducting underway replenishments
as well as anchoring and mooring the ship.
“I enjoy that my job allows me to lead, teach and mentor
young sailors,” said Brown.
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.
Brown 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.
“The operational tempo at this command is great,” said
Brown. “The commanding officer here is a great leader. I get the opportunity
to focus on developing junior sailors while being able to maximize my free
time.”
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 how to set goals and how to put in
the hard work to achieve those goals,” said Brown. “I have also gained a family
as well as an extended family from my shipmates.”
As a member of the one of the U.S. Navy’s most unique
commands, Brown 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.