US Navy 081011-N-9623R-012 Seabees earn the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) tan belt.jpg
{"Image ImageDescription": "..AL-ASAD, Iraq - (Oct. 6, 2008)  - Eight Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 27 earned the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) tan belt after training two and half hours a day for eight days..\u201cMCMAP is providing a new and unique way for Seabee's to get involved with Marines and identify with the warrior culture,\u201d said Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Neiberger, Marine military advisor to NMCB 27.  \u201cThe Seabee's involved with MCMAP are taught to use bayonet techniques, knife fighting, in addition to a variety of strikes, chokes and throws.\u201d .MCMAP is a battlefield oriented fighting program employed by the United States Marine Corps for close-in engagements and is composed of three disciplines; mental, character and physical.  The course consists of a belt ranking system with five basic levels - tan, gray, green, brown and black being the highest belt.  The Seabees that attended the 20-hour class all received tan belts in the art form. .\u201cEvery Seabee that has earned their belt wears it with a sense of pride, knowing that they paid for it with hard work and dedication, in addition to a lot of sweat and bruises,\u201d said Neiberger..\u201cThis class was a test of not only strength but a mental challenge as well,\u201d said Yeoman 1st Class Nadean Storey of Hartford, Conn.  \u201cThe support and encouragement that you receive from your team members makes this belt even more worth wearing because you didn't do it yourself, you did it as a team, with those who know your struggle and can appreciate your victory as well.\u201d.The MCMAP at al-Asad will be offering more classes for the Seabees assigned to NMCB 27, in hopes that more will participate and develop a better understanding of benefits that participation will offer..\u201cI have been a Seabee reservist for over 19 years, have trained in two different styles of martial arts for over 10 years and I am four-year veteran police officer, said Equipment Operator 1st Class Steven Ferreira of Swansea, Mass.  \u201cThis is a course that all Seabees should be proficient in.  With all the changes in today\u2019s world the \u2018We Build We Fight\u2019 has transformed, we have become more self\u2013sustaining.  In today\u2019s Seabees we are increasing our training in the aspect of fighting even more.  With MCMAP, we now take it to a more personal level of fighting, \u201cthe one on one.\u201d  As a Seabee our mission has always been we build first, but with the demand to be more independent we are now beginning to train to fight back even more.\u201d", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered"}