All-Female Seabees Team Makes History In Afghanistan

This team of eight women completed construction of four barracks buildings in the mountains of Afghanistan in November. (Department of the Navy / December 16, 2011)

Seabees Team Makes History In Afghanistan -- L.A. Times

In the rocky mountains of Helmand province the group from Port Hueneme becomes the first all-female team in Seabees history to take on and complete a construction project.

It was an unusual job even for the Seabees, the U.S. Navy's construction forces trained to hold a hammer in one hand and a Beretta M9 in the other.

First, the team selected to build barracks high in the mountains of Afghanistan consisted of eight women, who are all stationed at Naval Base Ventura County. And second, the women completed the job far ahead of schedule.

Beating deadline made up for long days and freezing nights in tents without plumbing, building four 20-by-30-foot structures, said Gafayat Moradeyo, the mission commander. But when the women returned to Bagram air field, their Afghanistan base, they learned that they had nailed another achievement: a place in naval history.

Read more ....

My Comment: I must confess that I was surprised when reading this .... I thought such a milestone was accomplished years ago. Hmmmm .... apparently not (until now).