On Saturday, April 13, at 1:00 p.m., the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation will present Seabees in Vietnam. The presentation will feature the documentary film "We Build … We Fight: The Story of the U.S. Navy Seabees" with a discussion led by Vietnam Veterans Gene Cusanelli and Bill Weber. The program will be held at the Vietnam Era Educational Center in Holmdel.

"We Build … We Fight" recounts the formation and proud accomplishments of the U.S. Navy's military construction force known as the Seabees. Formed shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Seabees served in the war zones of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Operation Desert Storm.

Gene Cusanelli of Middletown, was 19 when he joined the Navy in 1966, assuming that service in the Navy would put him on a ship instead of in the jungles of Vietnam. Bill Weber of Little Ferry joined the Navy that same year, when he was 18. However, both were assigned to the Seabees. Cusanelli was a builder with MCB-71 (Mobile Construction Battalion 71) in Chu Lai and Binh Son in South Vietnam, while Weber was a plumber and pipe fitter with MCB-4 in Da Nang, Khe Sanh, and other places in Vietnam. Rather than sailing on a ship, these Navy men spent their Tour of Duty on land, clearing the jungles and constructing buildings and bridges, and, when necessary, they fought.

Lecture attendees are asked to RSVP to the event to (732) 335-0033. A donation of $5.00 per person is suggested. The Vietnam Era Educational Center is located adjacent to the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial off the Garden State Parkway at exit 116. The Educational Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM - 4 PM. Regular admission is free for veterans and active-duty military personnel. Regular adult admission is $4.00; student and senior citizen admission is $2.00; and children under 10 are admitted free.