Public Employee Press

Third in a series
War in Iraq: DC 37 members at war
Blue-collar soldier

“Seabee” Rico Albacarys is on a mission to build U.S. bases and rebuild Iraq’s infrastructure

By GREGORY N. HEIRES

Rico Albacarys likes to joke that his job in Iraq will be to repair what the rest of the U.S. military blows up.

But in more serious moments, he portrays his mission in an idealistic light, describing it as helping the war-ravaged country rebuild its infrastructure as it transitions from dictatorship to democracy.

Called up for active military service from his job as a Uniformed Park Supervisor Level 2 in Local 1508, Albacarys, 43, has almost finished his six weeks of combat training. Later this month, the petty officer 2nd class and his fellow reservists in the Lakehurst, N.J.-based Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 21 will be shipped to Iraq.

Hopefully, as Navy “Seabees” assigned to construction projects, Albacarys and his “Blackjack Battalion” of laborers, plumbers, masons, painters, electricians and drivers will not need to use their combat skills. Dating to World War II, the construction battalions were depicted in the John Wayne movie, “The Fighting Seabees.”

In an interview shortly before he left for training, Albacarys said the Seabees’ work could range from clearing out bombed-out areas with bulldozers to installing showers at military bases to participating in major construction projects.

Albacarys understandably approaches his imminent deployment in Iraq with some trepidation. He will face the constant threat of suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices and armed attacks. The inadequately armored trucks he will drive in military convoys are often terrorist targets.

“Every day in Iraq, someone gets up in the morning with the sole mission of killing an American,” Albacarys said. “That’s a fact of reality. Yes, I am scared.”

A patriot with misgivings
“He’s a brave man,” said Local 1508 President Gary Cutler. “The entire local wishes him a safe return.”
Though his fears have not led him to question his military obligation, Albacarys has misgivings about the Iraqi conflict. His reflections about the war mirror the position of those who believe it has diverted resources from the original post-9/11 mission of the United States — eradicating Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

Before Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, the Blackjack Battalion was going to be sent for training to Camp Shelby in Gulfport, Miss. Albacarys says the Seabees’ time and construction skills would be better spent helping in the recovery at home rather than fighting an insurgency in another country.

During his interview with PEP, Albacarys said he expected the plum construction jobs in Iraq to go to contractors while the more routine work is assigned to the Seabees. Halliburton, Vice President Dick Cheney’s former company, which profits handsomely from no-bid contracts in Iraq, has a $500 million open-ended contract with the Navy to repair facilities damaged by Katrina, such as the Gulfport base in Mississippi where Albacarys was going to go.

Called up after 9/11
Albacarys has already served in the Army airborne infantry, the Army Reserve and the National Guard. He was called up and sent to Kuwait in the 1991 war with Iraq. In the weeks after 9/11, he guarded the Ground Zero area and the city’s subway system.

Albacarys and his wife Gloria live in Queens with their 11-year-old son Christian and 9-year-old daughter Natalie. His 21-year-old son Rico and other family members, including his mother, brother and sister, an uncle and cousins, came to New York to be with him shortly before his departure.
“My wife is a strong woman. I have been trying to teach her all of the things she should know to do while I’m away, like shutting off the gas and taking care of the car,” Albacarys said. “She is very worried. It probably won’t hit the kids until I am gone. They are still young.”

Despite his doubts about the Iraqi conflict, Albacarys recognizes his duty to serve and appears enthusiastic about the prospect of contributing to the rebuilding of a poor country devastated by war.

As the son of immigrants from Colombia, Albacarys feels a special commitment to serve a country where he and his siblings have been able to pursue college educations and become homeowners. His sister, Fabiola, is an industrial chemist in Puerto Rico, and his brother, Alex, is an engineer who works for Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio.


“I am a true believer in the American dream,” Albacarys said. “I have a lot to be proud of, and I feel indebted to this country.”