By Navy Office of
Community Outreach Public Affairs
NORFOLK – A 2000 West Bend West High School graduate and
West Bend, Wisconsin native is serving in the U.S. Navy with Naval Beach Group
TWO (NBG 2).
Petty Officer 1st Class Jesse Koehn is a builder with the
beach group operating out of Virginia Beach, Virginia.
A Navy builder is responsible for maintenance and upkeep of
1,200-man tent camp, as well as other contingencies.
“My job allows me to do something different, there is always
something new to learn and new people to meet,” said Koehn.
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.
Koehn 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..
“I enjoy being around the people here at my command, the
dedication of the people here brings everything together,” said Koehn
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.
“Since joining the Navy, I have learned how important
networking is,” said Koehn. “You will not always have the answer but knowing
people that can help out is important.”
As a member of the one of the U.S. Navy’s most unique
commands, Koehn 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.