Welcome to Island X-24
Welcome to Island X-24
About Us
Seabee Veterans
If you are interested in preserving the Seabee legacy, meeting some of our heroes from the past, and remaining in contact with those with whom you have served, please consider joining the Navy Seabee Veterans of America, At Large 24th Battalion (Island X-24). X-24 is composed of former and current enlisted and officer personnel that have served during war and peacetime since 1942 with NMCB 24 or other Seabee units. A downloadable application along with instructions can be found below.
I hope you will join me as a Life Member and help ensure that NMCB 24's proud history is preserved.
2025 Seabee Reunion
It is hard to believe that 2024 is quickly coming to an end. Time seems to go by so quickly. With that being said, the Island X-24 annual Seabee reunion is just around the corner and we have another great one planned for 2025.
This year we will be meeting in West Knoxville TN and staying at the Embassy Suites, a beautiful, conveniently located, 3-star hotel. The dates are April 23-27, 2025. You can follow this link to make your reservations: https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/tyskwes-nsb-dbcf306c-a966-4da5-80db-e817907ac44a/
This year’s activities include a tour of the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. It’s a nice place to visit, but you probably wouldn’t want to live there! Deb and I got to tour Alcatraz, in San Franciso, a few years ago and more recently the West Virginia Penitentiary where scenes from Shawshank Redemption were filmed. Both are very interesting, and we are excited about this tour and the stories that go along with it. Historic Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary - Petros, TN (tourbrushy.com)
We are changing the schedule a bit, so plan accordingly. The Seabee dinner is going to be on Friday evening this year. We will have a recruiting picnic on Saturday at a local park, similar to what we did in 2023. It was a great success and we gained some new members. We hope to do the same this year as we plan for our future.
There are many things to do in and around the Knoxville area. I would highly recommend a dinner or sightseeing cruise on the Volunteer Princess. Deb and I enjoyed a wonderful lunch on the yacht a couple weeks ago. Nearby you will also find the Blount Mansion which provides some interesting details of the History of Tennessee. In the same area is James White’s Fort, Knoxville’s first home. We also enjoyed a walk through the Knoxville Botanical Gardens. There is no shortage of things to do in Knoxville so this is sure to be a great trip!
Our history
The 24th Naval Construction Battalion was commissioned on September 4, 1942 at Naval Construction Training Center, Norfolk, Virginia. The battalion served in combat in the Pacific Islands during World War II and was decommissioned at the end of the war in 1945.
The Battalion was re-commissioned as Reserve Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 24 on June 1, 1962.
In 1970 the veterans from World War II came together for their first reunion and that tradition has been carried on by the NMCB 24 veterans of the Gulf War in Operation Desert Storm.
NMCB24 was called again to service in 2005 and 2009 for the Iraq War in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The battalion was once again decommissioned on September 15, 2013.
Our mission
It is impossible to describe the bonds that are created from brothers and sisters serving in the military, especially those that have gone to war together. Those who have not served or have not been in a family that has served, will never be able to understand.
Our goal is to keep alive the memories that we have made together and share them from one generation to the next. We accomplish this by setting aside one week each year to come together and renew our friendships, travel, share a meal, and tell our stories again.