Capt Guide, the Marine at the helm of the Navy Construction Battalion at FOB Payne in Afghanistan thinks it is important for the “Seabees” to have something to love, honor, and nourish.
“Since pets are not allowed in the theater, he sent guys out to the river valley to find us a tree,” said Seabee CECS (SCW) Thurmond Oliver, who is on his 6th deployment. The whole C.B. detachment was sent in as part of President Obama’s order to send 30,000 more troops in Afghanistan.
Oliver says the first tree the guys brought back was worse than the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. “It looked liked the guys planted it upside down. It was not up to Captain Guide’s standards,” he said.
So the Captain sent the Seabees out to find another.
“The second one was a good lookin’ tree. But it came with a visitor.” Oliver said referring to the poisonous Viper snake that had hitchhiked in on the tree’s branches.
The Seabees built a large, wooden planter for their tree and set forth caring for it. It was doing well, until one fateful day.
CECS (SCW) Thurmond Oliver
“The guys were taking turns watering the tree,” Oliver explained, “and one day the Seabee whose turn it was used water from the showers. That’s chlorinated. Naturally, the tree died. So, here we have tree number three.”
The guys made a wooden sign for their pet project, calling it “The Joshua Tree”. But that’s not a reference to the funky looking trees that grow at the national park near the Marine combat center in Twenty-nine Palms, California.
“Captain Guide’s first name is Joshua, so we named it after him. It’s his legacy. It was his dream that we’d have a tree,” said Oliver.
Things are not looking good for Seabee tree number three. Due to a road job outside the wire, it hasn’t been properly watered in a few days. The leaves that were once green are turning brown, blending in with the dust and dirt all around them.
“I think it’s doing as well as that snake on a board over there,” Oliver joked, pointing to a snakeskin nailed to a 2×4 piece of wood.
But Capt Guide is not giving up hope.
“I have faith in that tree. We’re gonna bring her back,” he said, “We’re gonna baby her.”
The guys are using coffee grounds as fertilizer in hopes of perking the tree back up.
“It gives the guys something green to look at,” Capt Guide said, admitting having the tree named after him is a bit embarrassing. But he’s willing to take some ribbing for the good of the cause.
“As fun and entertaining this is, having a living tree is meaningful around here.”
Capt Joshua Guide with The Joshua Tree