Bruce Geibel

VIETNAM MEMORIES: Below is a series of slides of a USAF C-130 that crash landed on the runway in Quang Tri, Vietnam, with Seabees of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion ELEVEN, on 15 May 1968. I was to have been the OIC on this flight, but changed flights in Cubi Point in the Philippines prior to departure to Vietnam. My flight landed about 15 minutes prior to this flight and I witnessed the crash landing resulting in seven NMCB-11 personnel being medevaced and numerous less serious injuries receiving medical aid on the runway. The middle photo shows injured 'Bees being taken from the crash site. Several officers and enlisted personnel received Navy Commendation or Achievement Medals for their superb rescue actions that day. Photos: Ltjg. Bruce Geibel and NMCB-11 PAO, Quang Tri, Vietnam.

MCB-11 ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETING: The MCB-11 (Seabees) Association annual reunion is being held in St. Louis, MO, in September 2008 this year. For further information, please check out the MCB-11 WebSite: www.mcb11.com . You Vets come and join us in September. MCB-11's St. Louis Reunion Logo above.

THE U.S. NAVY: THERE WHEN YOU NEED HER!

THE AMERICAN FLAG - FLYING LIKE YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE. Click off any playing music, and please click on the Video below to watch a beautiful display of our American Flag and the playing of our National Anthem. Whoo hoo! See if it doesn't bring a chill and thrill to your heart.

BIOGRAPHICAL HIGHLIGHTS

HIGHLIGHTS: Bruce Geibel is an architect, retired Navy Captain, Civil Engineer Corps, U.S. Navy, Vietnam Veteran and former Navy Seabee (enlisted Seabee and naval officer). He is also a poet, cartoonist, photographer and songwriter. Has co-written four songs with his son, Eric Geibel, that have been produced and are being played and sung by Eric on his own MySpace site. He is married to the former Sandra Mary Fowler (Sandy), of Mobile, Alabama, and they have two grown children: Eric F. Geibel, living in Berwick, Louisiana; and, Lisa M. Geibel, living in Roswell, Georgia. They also have a grandson, Gage E. Geibel, of Berwick, Louisiana.

HISTORY OF THE SEABEES: Bruce spent six tours of duty with the Navy Seabees -- Vietnam (twice), Thailand, Spain, Puerto Rico and Diego Garcia. For a brief history of the Navy Seabees, please check out the video below. Turn off the current music playing and click on the below video to see the history of the 'Bees and current work in Iraq and Afghanistan from 1942 to 2007. Seabees "Can Do"...Oooh Raah!

SERVICE TO COUNTRY: Bruce has over 31 years of military service: 2 years in USAF ROTC and 3 years in the Navy Seabee Reserves while in college; and, 26 years of active duty as a naval officer. He loved his time in the Navy, especially with the Navy’s Seabees, and appreciated their spirited “Can Do” attitude. In Vietnam, his Seabee Battalion (NMCB-11) worked for the U.S. Marines (III MAF and 3rd MARDIV) and completed many construction projects for them in Danang, Dong Ha and Quang Tri. Semper Fi my Marine Friends. He spent another two-year tour in the Seabees as the executive officer with NMCB-133 in Spain, Puerto Rico and Diego Garcia. He followed up his Navy career with 17 years of work in the civilian community in and around Atlanta, Georgia, and being project manager for disaster recovery efforts along the Gulf Coast, Mississippi, after Hurricane Katrina, in Key West, Florida, after Hurricane Wilma, and in Rincon, New Mexico, after severe flooding as a result of Hurricane John drifting in from the Pacific Ocean. He is currently working as the project manager on a USAF Hangar project at Little Rock AFB, in Jacksonville, Arkansas, just north of Little Rock.

REALLY RETIRED? No, nada, not! He indicates he is not entirely retired, since he now owns/operates Geibel Enterprises, a part-time home business involved in construction management, consulting and sales, and also works part-time disaster relief and restoration work for FEMA out of his home office in Big Canoe, Pickens County, Georgia, for the BE&K Government Group, Inc., located in Birmingham, Alabama. He as tried to retire three times, but just hasn't got it right yet, so he continues to work because he likes the work. With regards to disaster-related work, he indicates: “When the winds blow, the creeks rise or the earth quakes, we are ready to rock and roll. We do it better. You call; we haul.”

Photo Above: The Navy Seabee Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. The caption on the Memorial reads as follows:

SEABEES - CAN DO

WITH WILLING HEARTS AND SKILLFUL HANDS, THE DIFFICULT WE DO AT ONCE,THE IMPOSSIBLE TAKES A BIT LONGER

WITH COMPASSION FOR OTHERSWE BUILD - WE FIGHTFOR PEACE WITH FREEDOM

COUNTRY MUSIC: Geibel loves country music and periodically highlights new and rising singers on this site. Check out the section below titled "Who I'd Like to Meet" to see who is featured at this time. A video song site or two is shown immediately below for your viewing and enjoyment. Be sure you click off the regular song playing on this site first, before you connect with the video. Otherwise, you will hear two songs overlapping each other.

VIDEO TRIBUTE TO MILITARY: A powerful tribute to the men and women of the United Stated Armed Forces fighting for our freedoms overseas. Written by Rick Tiger, Dustin Evans, and Dave Brainard. Check out this great video sung by Dustin Evans and his music tribute to the military - "If I Die Before You Wake." Click off the song playing on this site first, and then click on the start button in the center of the Video site below. Turn up the sound and listen.

OUTRAGEOUSLY FUNNY NEW CELL-PHONE OPTIONS: A must see. Click off the music playing on this site first. Click on the center arrow to start the video. Gotta watch the whole video to get the full fun of the subject. I ordered one today. Get ya one!

BIOGRAPHICAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
SOUTHERN NAVY JUNIOR: Captain Bruce Geibel, a navy junior, was born in Washington, DC, when his father, Cdr. (Dr.) Frank B. C. Geibel, MC, USNR, of Lewistown, Pennsylvania, was serving as a naval medical officer in nearby Dahlgren, Virginia. His mother, Ruth B. Geibel, of Green Valley, Maryland, was a registered nurse and graduate of Garfield Memorial Hospital School for Nurses in Washington, DC. Naturally, Bruce was born in the hospital that his mother graduated from earlier in D.C. His father later served in the Philippines during WW II.  He was a hospital commander stationed near the 91st Naval Construction Battalion (91st NCB – Seabees) on Manicani Island, Leyte Gulf, Philippines, in 1945. The Seabees constructed most of his temporary medical facilities using the time-honored Quonset huts for medical and berthing spaces according to his WW II scrapbook. His discussions with Bruce after the war about the Seabees got him interested in them in later life. Of course, John Wayne, and his movie “The Fighting Seabees” sold him on a future career with the Seabees. His father got out of the Navy as a Captain, Medical Corps, U.S. Navy, to start a private practice. He moved to Columbia, South Carolina, at the age of four. He grew up in the South.  Bruce calls Columbia his hometown because of his longevity there. Bruce says about his Southern up bringing: “I’m American by birth; but, Southern by the grace of God.”

PHOTO ABOVE: Capt. Frank Geibel and son Bruce (future naval officer) at Naval Proving Grounds, Dahlgren, VA, c. 1944, during World War II.

EDUCATION & TRAINING: After receiving a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Clemson University in May 1965, he was commissioned an Ensign in the Navy’s Civil Engineer Corps from Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island, in March 1966. He received a Master of Science degree in Financial Management from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, in December 1977. He later graduated from the Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers (old APPA) Institute for Facilities Management, Alexandria, Virginia, in 1995. He completed over 2,400 hours of additional instruction and training, including the following major subjects: auditing; financial management; safety and environmental issues; contracts administration and law; security procedures; human resources; military and civilian leadership; long-term planning and programming; budget preparation and execution; total quality management; forestration, utilities, and infrastructure operations and maintenance; and engineering and architectural subjects.

PHILOSOPHY: His work philosophy is simplistic: “Lead, follow or get the hell out of the way.” Don't stand in the way of progress. Planning: Although you can plan your work, and work your plan to success, oftentimes it is OK in off-duty time to simply go with the flow and see where you end up. Picture this in the photo below:

INSTRUCTOR: He has taught numerous subjects over the years including math, english, safety, environmental issues, military and civilian leadership, construction management, project management, public works operation and maintenance, contracting, inspection, speech writing and presentation, business practices, total quality management, long-term planning, budget execution, disaster readiness and response, genealogy, and stamp and coin collecting as a hobby.

NAVAL QUALIFICATIONS: Although he is an architect by degree, he is also a qualified Navy Civil Engineer Corps officer, Material Professional, Weapons Systems Acquisition Manager, Joint Duty Specialist (J-SPEC Level 5) Officer and Warranted Contracting Officer. He retired as a U.S. Navy Captain in the Civil Engineer Corps in 1991 to start a civilian career.

NAVY CAREER: Spent 26-years on active duty as a Navy Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) officer after completing 3-years of enlisted Seabee reserve duties. Since his commissioning, Captain Geibel’s tours of duty have touched upon all areas and facets of duties of Naval Facilities Engineering Command responsibilities and have literally taken him around the world several times.

NAVY DUTIES - SEABEES: He served four tours with the Navy's Seabees. These include: three years as an enlisted Seabee in Reserve Naval Construction Battalion SIX (Unit 6-3), out of Greenville, South Carolina, during college, with two-weeks of summer drill duty each at Great Lakes, IL, and in Davisville, RI; assistant operations officer, assistant Delta Company commander and special roadwork project officer in Naval Mobile Construction Battalion ELEVEN out of Port Hueneme, California, with wartime duties in Danang and Quang Tri, Vietnam; officer-in-charge of Seabee Team 1109, working with the Thai Border Patrol Police (BPP), in Chiang Kham, Thailand, on the border with Burma and Laos; and, as executive officer, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 out of Gulfport, Mississippi. These assignments included six unaccompanied overseas deployments to diverse locations such as Vietnam (twice plus 1 week), Thailand, Spain, Puerto Rico and Diego Garcia in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

PHOTO ABOVE: Seabee Team 1109 Logo with Border Patrol Police, Chiang Kham, Thailand, 1967.

PHOTO ABOVE: Seabee Team 1109 in Chiang Kham, Thailand, 1967. Members: Front Row, L-R, CM1 Larry D. Kleinau; BU1 Jack Ogle; SW1 Charles D. Jones (KIA in Vietnam-1969); and HM1 Richard L. "Doc" Brown; Back Row, L-R, EOC Henry M. Knowles - AOIC; BU2 Gary W. Gilley; EO2 John Murley; CM2 Arthur S. Escalante; CE2 Stanley D. Allman; UT2 David G. Edgar; EA2 Ronald R. Podboy; and LTJG Bruce B. Geibel - OIC. Missing: UT2 Eric T. Ottensen; SW2 Donald Eischeid; and CE2 Darrell R. Vincent (2004-RIP).

PHOTO ABOVE: Navy Corpsman, HM1 Richard Doc Brown, USN, administering first aid to small child in Ban Huy Fong, a small hill-tribe mountain village in Thailand, as part of Seabee Team 1109's civic action mission. He, his Thai BPP counterpart and team interpreter, treated over 10,000 villagers during our 8-month tour in The Golden Triangle of Northeast Thailand.

PHOTO ABOVE: NMCB-11 (11th Seabees) Logo.

PHOTO ABOVE: NMCB-133 (133rd Seabees) Veterans Association Kangroo Logo.

PHOTO ABOVE: This photo is of the huge Navy Seabee posted on the parade grounds of the Navy Seabee Center in Gulfport, Mississippi.

NAVY DUTIES - CONSTRUCTION: Captain Geibel’s naval construction contracts tours included duties as: Assistant Resident Officer in Charge of Construction (AROICC) for Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Virginia; Resident Officer in Charge of Construction (ROICC) for Project Ada-Beth-Cindy (15 microwave towers valued at $35 million forming part of the early Moscow-Washington Hotline) in Scotland and Northern Ireland, through Naval Security Group Activity (NSGA), Edzell, Scotland; and Commanding Officer, Officer in Charge of Construction (OICC)(200 plus projects totaling $180 million), Marianas, with headquarters in Agana, Guam.

NAVY DUTIES - STAFF: His staff duties included tours as: director base operations and facilities advisor for the Royal Saudi Navy ($200 million O&M contract), in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Naval Staff Officer for NATO’s military organization, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE)(administered rolling 7-year military construction program valued at $421 million with prioritized $150 million annual construction in NATO nations), in Casteau, Mons, Belgium; and deputy chief of staff for Base Support and Logistics, Commander Naval Forces Marianas, Guam. Captain Geibel also served managerial tours as: the Director, Readiness Planning Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Alexandria, Virginia; and, Associate Comptroller for Military Construction and Recreation Activities (i.e., $2.1 billion in construction, repairs, maintenance and recreation activities at all shipyards, weapons/ordnance and R&D activities), Naval Sea Systems Command, in Washington, D.C.

ABOVE PHOTO: Air & Naval Cell, Infrastructure, SHAPE, Casteau, Belgium - L to R: LTC Elio Demarco, IT-AF (deceased, RIP): LTC Roger Eagle, UK-A: LTC Charles Jackson, US-AF; LTC Ionas "John" Rigas, GR-AF; CDR Bruce Geibel, US-N; & LTC Dave Williamson, CN-AF.

NAVY DUTIES - PUBLIC WORKS: His Public Works duties have included tours as: Assistant Public Works Officer (APWO) at Naval Air Station, Atsugi, Japan, and joint duties as the APWO at Naval Weapons Station and Polaris Missile Facility Atlantic (POMFLANT), Charleston, South Carolina; and, Commanding Officer, Navy Public Works Center, Guam (PWC Guam)(the latter with over 1,600 employees and a $116 million annual O&M budget for infrastructure at 56 activities valued at over $1.5 billion).

ABOVE PHOTO: Capt. Bruce B. Geibel, CEC, USN, as Commanding Officer, Public Works Center, Guam, and Commanding Officer, Officer in Charge of Construction, Marianas. Official Navy Photo.

OVERSEAS LIVING & WORK: Bruce Geibel lived overseas with his family for 16 years during his 26-year naval career in such places as: England; Scotland; Japan; Saudi Arabia; Belgium; and, the Territory of Guam. He and his family visited much of Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the South Pacific Islands during that period of time. He has worked in or visited some 27% of the countries in the world. He also made independent unaccompanied deployments in the U.S. Navy to: Vietnam and Thailand; Rota, Spain; Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico; and Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory. While overseas, his son, Eric Geibel, was born in the Charleton Maternity Home, Montrose, Scotland, and his daughter, Lisa Geibel, was born in the U.S. Army Hospital at Camp Zama, Japan. In Scotland, Bruce, Sandy and Eric (as a wee lad) lived in the 12th Century Kinnaird Castle (see photo below), near Brechin. His wife, Sandy, managed to teach school in most areas where they lived during Bruce's career. Bruce and various members of his family at times also lived in the continental U.S., including: Port Hueneme, California; Charleston, South Carolina; Monterey, California; Long Beach (Gulfport), Mississippi; Norfolk and Annandale, Virginia; Woodstock and Big Canoe, Georgia.

PHOTO ABOVE: Eric Geibel standing in front of 12th Century, Kinnaird Castle (c. 1984), near Brechin and Edzell, Scotland, where he lived for a short time in 1970.

WORLD TRAVEL MAP: Been there, done that. Below find my travel map of the places my family and I have lived and/or visited during our lifetime.

PHOTO BELOW: Geibel family vacation - L to R, Eric, Sandy, Bruce and Lisa - in Amsterdam, Holland, 1984. Dressing like the local homefolks. Where was my Canadian friend Katie Eltink (from Holland) when this photo was taken? You out there Katie?

CIVILIAN BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION:
CIVILIAN WORK: Geibel has worked in the civilian community for the past 17 years in/near Atlanta, Georgia. This includes the following areas of assignment: Director of Public Services, Hapeville, Georgia; Director of Operations and Maintenance Department, Facilities Management Division, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; Director of Facilities Management, Woodruff Arts Center (consisting of the High Museum of Art, Atlanta College of Art, Alliance Theater, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the 14th Street Playhouse). He was a member of the Landscape Committee for the Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta, GA, for about seven years - 1993 - 2000. He was also a consultant in the business development branch for NOVA Commercial Interiors, Inc., Marietta, Georgia, and a consultant for the design and/or construction of a fire station, Georgia State Patrol facility and county jail for the Pickens County Government, Jasper, Georgia. He was the owner/operator of five of his own businesses: Environmental and Educational Solutions, Lakeside Facilities Management Services, and Cherokee S&C  Collectibles Shop, all in Woodstock, Georgia; Geibel Construction Management Services and now Geibel Enterprises, of Big Canoe, Georgia. He has taken on a temporary assignment as project manager to complete a USAF Hangar at Little Rock AFB in Jacksonville, Arkansas, in 2008. The Geibels, Bruce & Sandy, currently live in gated community of Big Canoe, near the town of Jasper, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Pickens County, Georgia.

PHOTOS BELOW OF BIG CANOE, GEORGIA: Photos of typical Black Bears living in Big Canoe, and Lake Petit, one of three lakes in Big Canoe, a private, gated community located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains of North Georgia in land once belonging to the great Cherokee Indians Nation. The bears have visited our own back yard on occasion, standing no more than 30 feet from me on one occassion. The community consists of several thousand homes and condos, for permanent and part-time residents, and guests, an indoor and two large outdoor swimming pools, large indoor recreation center, three 9-hole golf courses, 8 tennis courts (expanding), outdoor playing fields, 26 miles of walking trails, small-boat harbors, community center, chapel, post office, a brand new $12 million clubhouse and several restaurants, all situated in a nature preserve. Wild black bears (see photo), deer, bobcats, coyote's, red and gray foxes, hawks, eagles, geese, and wild turkeys are abundant on the over 7,800 acres of mountain terrain.

DISASTER RELIEF: Currently, Bruce Geibel is a part-time consultant (project manager) with the BE&K Government Group, Inc., of Birmingham, Alabama, working out of his home office in Big Canoe, Georgia. He provided recent disaster relief services to the U.S. Navy and FEMA. He oversaw and/or directed hurricane restoration work in Southern Mississippi (after Katrina and Rita in 2005), Naval Air Station, Key West, Florida (after Wilma in 2005-06), and Rincon, New Mexico (after John in 2006). Prior to that, he performed cleanup and restoration work after a military airplane crash at NAS Atsugi, Japan (1972), an oil-spill in Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico (1978), Hurricane Frederic in Mississippi (1979), civilian airliner crash at Nimitz Hill, Guam (1990), several typhoons including Typhoon Russ ($12 million damage to military facilities) on Guam (1989-91) and after tornado and severe winter weather damage storms in Hapeville and Atlanta, Georgia (1990’s).

AWARDS & RECOGNITION:  Geibel’s Navy awards include the Legion of Merit, Navy & Marine Corps Medal (for Heroism), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, three Meritorious Service Medals, Humanitarian Service Medal, Navy Expeditionary Medal, two National Defense Service medals, Combat Action Ribbon, two Navy Unit Commendations, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Vietnam Service Medal (with five campaign-battle stars and the Fleet Marine Corps Device), Vietnam Campaign Medal (w/'60 device), and numerous other campaign and service medals/ribbons including the Navy Efficiency (E), Navy Sea Service (w/two bronze stars) and Navy Overseas Service (w/1 silver and 2 bronze stars) ribbons. Other awards include: Navy Equal Opportunity Award, NWS Charleston, SC (1976); Secretary of the Navy, Industrial Unit Outstanding Safety Program Winner, PWC Guam (1990); Golden Anchor (Office Division), High Command Morale and Wardroom Activities and 100% junior officer retention, PWC Guam (1991); Most Outstanding Military Organization, Volunteer Recognition Award, First Lady of Guam, PWC Guam (1991); two awards by the U.S. Navy and Government of Guam as Most Outstanding Employer and Trainer of Handicapables and Disabled Veterans on Guam (1989-90); and, a Guam Legislature Resolution for Outstanding Service to the Territory of Guam (1991).

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION: Geibel is listed among: the Outstanding Young Men of America (twice); International Who’s Who of Professionals (twice); International Who’s Who of Entrepreneurs; Redbank Toastmaster of the Year, Charleston, SC (1976); South Carolina Toastmaster of the Year (1976); Toastmasters International "Hall of Fame" Selection (1976); and, a recipient of the SAME-FASAI Distinguished Service Award, Guam (1991).

VOLUNTEER & OFF-DUTY ACTIVITIES: Over the years, I have been involved in a number of off-duty activities, including Indian Guide co-leader, Monterey, California; co-coach basketball and soccer teams at SHAPE, Casteau, Belgium – basketball and soccer teams both won respective league championship; multi-year volunteer Guam Special Olympics, Agana, Guam, and Georgia Special Olympics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; participant in Highway “Sponsor-a-Mile” Cleanup Operations, Guam; Chairman SAME-FASAI Annual Charity Golf Tournament, Guam; Member, Readiness Committee, SAME National Headquarters, Alexandria, Virginia; Secretary, Junior Vice President and President various SAME posts; Secretary, Vice President and President of various Toastmasters International posts; Governor, Area 1, South Carolina Toastmasters; Chairman, Golf Advisory Committee, Charleston, SC, and Agana, Guam; and Chairman, Officer’s Club Advisory Committee, Charleston, SC; and member, Veterans' Helping Veterans, greater Atlanta area, Georgia.

ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIP: Life Member, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW); associate member, American Institute of Architects (AIA); founding member, Northern Branch (Montegnards), Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association (AVVBA);  member, Vet's Helping Vets, Atlanta, Georgia; founding member, Vice President and historian, Mobile Construction Battalion ELEVEN (MCB-11) Association; Life Member, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) Association; member, Naval Postgraduate School Alumni Association; member, Public Works Department Alumni, NSGA Edzell, Scotland; member, Naval Postgraduate School Alumni Association, Monterey CA; member, Clemson Alumni Association (43 consecutive years); and member, American Philatelic Society (APS).

VETS HELPING VETS: Check out the site below for veteran's helping veterans in the greater Atlanta, Georgia, area.

FAMILY LIFE: Geibel says: “I have been married to my wonderful wife Sandy (a retired educator and teacher of gifted and talented students) for 39 years; have two wonderful grown children Eric F. Geibel (safety manager, musician, singer and songwriter in Morgan City, Louisiana) and Lisa M. Geibel (teleconferencing systems account manager in Roswell, Georgia); and, a very smart grandson Gage E. Geibel (3rd grade computer geek and gifted and talented student doing high school level work in all subjects).”

PHOTO BELOW: Picture of the Geibel family - Lisa, Sandy, Bruce & Eric - on Guam.

BEEN THERE; DONE THAT: Geibel comments on his life in general: "I have thoroughly enjoyed my life’s work, challenges, stumbles, bumbles, fumbles, successes, failures, travels and experiences.  I’m looking forward to many more good years on this great planet Earth and especially in the good old U.S.A.  Although I have a quite different work philosophy (plan your work and work your plan), during my time off, e.g., vacations and drives-about, I’m always looking for that old 'fork in the road'. When I find it, I take it, not always knowing where I’ll end up, but always enjoying the sites, scenes, opportunities and people I find along the way. In the recreational sense, you never know what you might find out there when you know not where you are going."

MCB-11 ASSOCIATION LOGO: The logo of the Mobile Construction Battalion ELEVEN (MCB-11) Association is shown below.

MCB-11 ASSOCIATION: I am currently the Vice President and Historian of the MCB-11 Association (Mobile Construction Battalion ELEVEN - Seabees). Click on the MCB-11 Association WebSite below (or, google www.mcb11.com ) to see a history of the Seabees and information about NMCB-11 recommissioned in September 2007 in Gulfport, MS. See a continuation of my profile below.

OTHER INTERESTS: Author, song writer, poet and color photographer (examples of photos on this site...see photos of Key West vacation and Big Canoe). He has researched, written and self-published five family genealogy books of from 180-498 pages in length: Geibel (Germany & PA) Families; Burgee (England/France & MD) Families; Fowler (England, NH & IL) Families; Willaert (Belgium & IL) Families; and Krone (Norway & IL) Families; wrote and self-published one naval history: "Family of 11th Seabee Battalions;" the author of NATO Naval Minimum Military Requirements (MMR); and was the Co-Editor of the Naval Postgraduate School Quarterly Magazine. Developed many facilities business plans, environmental and safety plans, and operations and maintenance (O&M) manuals for the U.S. Navy and in civilian life; e.g., NMCB-133, PWC Guam, City of Hapeville, Emory University Facilities Management Department, and Woodruff Arts Center. Developed a typical comprehensive 20-year facilities O&M infrastructure and budget plan for the Woodruff Arts Center. Planned and executed highly successful safety plans and programs for various U.S. Navy commands and civilian activities. Was the compiler/editor of several newsletters for various Toastmasters International Local Posts and Society of American Military Engineers Local Posts. Co-writer of three songs with his son, Eric Geibel, titled "Navy Seabee", "Trading Places," and "The Lord is My Lighthouse", all arranged and recorded by a great friend, Pershing Wells, of Houma, Louisiana. His son Eric wrote the music for and sings all three songs. They are all featured on his MySpace site. They are currently working on several other songs for the future. Penned a hundred or more poems and songs, drawn man cartoons, and does color photography and various pen & ink drawings. Wrote a number of technical, safety, travel, environmental and/or engineering related articles for publication in local and national military and civilian newspapers and/or magazines. Completed his bachelor of architecture thesis in urban planning where he designed a forward-thinking comprehensive living-working environment complex of lowrise and highrise townhouses, condos and shops for downtown living including parking and recreation facitlies, for a whole city block in Columbia, SC (1965). Completed his master's thesis in "Solar Energy Application in the Naval Shore Establishment" (1979). The latter was a bit ahead of it's time and value, but with gas and oil prices skyrocketing, the U.S. needs to try alternative sources of fuel as part of it's national energy policies.

THE END IS IN SIGHT: Warm regards to all my friends and relatives around the world on MySpace. Here’s wishing you a safe harbor, fair winds, following sea, and red sunset (e.g., "Red Sky at Night, Sailor's Delight; Red Sky in Morning, Sailor's Take Warning!") in your future. Y’all come see us now ya hear! Keep it clean; do it right; make it country! Yee haw! That’s Southern for, Oooh Raah!

VISITOR'S MAPS: The below maps indicate the numbers of visitors and location of visitors hitting my site.

ERIC GEIBEL MUSIC: Hey y'all...Listen to my son ERIC GEIBEL's music on his MySpace site...see below, and click on it to get to his site. He won Artist of the Month (for his song "Always Changing") on MCTMG Radio Country Music Rating for November 2007 after finishing No. 2 in October 2007, and had the No. 4 song ("Always Changing") and No. 11 song ("Breaking Hearts in Heaven") in December 2007 on the same station. He won MCTMG Songwriter of the Month in December 2007 and was automatically nominated for Songwriter of the Year as well in a contest to end in October 2008. He was Ranked No. 5 in Member Rank Scores and No. 12 in Highest Indie Panel Score Ratings in the Indie Country Charts of some 400 entries. In the Independent Artists's Company (IAC) Ratings (Country Music) of 3 January 2008 he zoomed up from the 800's to the No. 26 song "Breaking Hearts in Heaven" and No. 3 song "Always Changing" in one month. Eric released a new south-of-the-border-type song "Trading Places" co-written with his dad (Bruce Geibel) in January 2008. He released two new songs in April 2008 - "Every Now and Then" and "The Lord is My Lighthouse" a Christian song co-written with his dad. Three more songs are scheduled for release after June 2008. On May 25, 2008, Eric was listed at the No. 20 ranking out of some 400 entries in The Next GAC Star weekly music ratings in Nashville with his song "Every Now and Then." This song has ranked as high as No. 2 in this ratings list. His songs are played consistently on many Internet Radio Stations including major sites at AFB and MCTMG. He's doin' good with a variety of different songs, from country, to Christian, to southern rock. Check him out.

Eric's Music Motto: "Keep It Real, Do It Right, Make It Country!"

VIETNAM TOURS - 1966-1968. Bruce Geibel, a young ensign (0-1) and lieutenant junior grade (0-2), participated in three tours of duty in Southeast Asia from 1966 to 1968 with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion ELEVEN (NMCB-11). His first tour was at Camp Adenir, Danang East, Vietnam in 1966; his second tour was with the Border Patrol Police and as OIC of Seabee Team 1109 in Chiang Kham, Thailand, near the borders of Laos and Burma, with a week in Camp Barnes (named after NMCB-11's EO Chief Donald Barnes who was KIA at Khe Sanh in 1967), Dong Ha, Vietnam, in 1967; and his third tour was at Camp Rhodes, Quang Tri, Vietnam, in 1968. Some of his extensive 35-mm slide collection is shown below in the scrolling screen. Click on the photo to see the caption for job and location. It the screen scroll isn't working, please click on the picts logo below my profile picture to enter the photo section. Then click on the Vietnam file to see the pictures in page format with captions. All you Vietnam veterans, enjoy reliving your time in 'Nam, or don't enjoy it. Construimus Batuimus to you Seabees who served with NMCB-11, and Semper Fi to you Marines who we served with in III MARDIV in the Northern I-Corps of Vietnam from Hue-Phu Bai to the DMZ and west to Khe Sahn. Hoooh Raaah! Seabees Can Do! We Build, We Fight for peace and freedom around the world.

WELCOME HOME MY BROTHERS & SISTERS: Our men and women who fought in Vietnam were never formally welcomed home from their service time in Southeast Asia. History seems to be repeating itself in our "Global War on Terrorism". Political Pundants and Congress: Get over your penny ante politics. Politics (poly'-ticks): poly - more than one, more, many; and ticks - bloodsucking arachnids, some being disease vectors. So there you have the definition of politics. God help us if we depend on congress to lead the way into the future. We have men and women in harm's way around the world to support your right to criticize and play parlor games. We are in this Global War on Terrorism - right or wrong. Now that we are in it, Congress, you must support our men and women who lay down their lives for you. For all of my many Vietnam brothers and sisters, I say to you: Welcome Home My Brothers and Sisters. May God bless you, the souls of those who never made it home alive, and the MIA's who have never been fully accounted for. To those new warriors fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Global War on Terrorism, we will never forget "9-11" and we appreciate the supreme sacrifices you and your families are making to keep us free and safe here at home. God bless you.

PHOTO BELOW: Picture of John Wayne "The Fighting Seabees" visiting our Naval Mobile Construction Battalion ELEVEN (NMCB-11) Seabee camp at Camp Adenir, Danang East, Vietnam, in June 1966. John Wayne is sitting in the jeep signing a poster. The battalion executive officer LCDR John Totten, CEC, USN, is standing beside the jeep. All in a days work in 'Nam. Seabees Can Do! Construimus Batuimus, We Build, We Fight. Photo by: Official NMCB-11 Photo.

..