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William Bradford Huie
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Can Do!: The Story of the Seabees (Bluejacket Books) Paperback – November 14, 1997

by William Bradford Huie (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 556 ratings
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When William Bradford Huie, a reporter for H. L. Mencken's American Mercury, joined the U.S. Navy in 1943, he received a commission as a public relations officer in the little-known Civil Engineer's Corps Construction Battalions--the Seabees. With the publication of Can Do! the following year, Americans soon came to appreciate the significance of the corps's work and the danger of their wartime activities. As readable and entertaining today as it was some fifty years ago, this account tells the story of the Seabees who landed with the Marines at Guadalcanal and Wake Island, Sicily and Salerno. Experienced civilian engineers, carpenters, steam-shovel operators, plumbers, truck drivers, surveyors, and the like, they landed with the first waves of American assault troops, bringing heavy equipment ashore to build roads, bridges, and airfields and repair whatever they could. Often working under enemy fire, they incurred many casualties and won the deep respect of everyone who came into contact with them.

Huie's book is filled with spirited accounts of the Seabees's achievements in the Aleutians, the South Sea islands, Europe, and Africa. A passionate and convincing advocate, Huie wrote the book not only to call attention to their accomplishments but to serve as an inspiration to others, and he often has the Seabees tell their stories in their own words. Appendixes offer valuable details, including lists of casualties, award recipients, and Seabees' poems. An introduction by Donald R. Noble is included in this new paperback edition.

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  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Naval Institute Press
  4. Publication date
    November 14, 1997
  5. Dimensions
    6.05 x 0.73 x 9.02 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1557503796
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1557503794
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Naval Institute Press (November 14, 1997)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1557503796
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1557503794
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.05 x 0.73 x 9.02 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 556 ratings

About the author

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William Bradford Huie

William Bradford Huie

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William Bradford "Bill" Huie (November 13, 1910 – November 20, 1986) was an American journalist and novelist. He wrote several books about controversial topics related to World War II and the Civil Rights Movement.

He was also known for the practice of checkbook journalism, paying subjects to gain interviews and articles about them. In January 1956 he published an interview in Look magazine in which the two white men who killed Emmett Till admitted their guilt and described their crime. They had been acquitted at trial several months previously by an all-white jury.

Huie had several of his books adapted as feature films during the 1960s and 1970s.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
556 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

TMK
5.0 out of 5 stars What the War Movies Didn't Show About Winning WWII
Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2023
Verified Purchase
I read this book because I was a Civil Engineering Corps officer for about three years of active duty and 8 years of active reserves. I served with the Seabees in Vietnam for a year. I wished to know of their history.

Having grown up with uncle who was a Navy PBY pilot, I learned a little bit about his duty on Guadalcanal and points north. He described the miserable living conditions on Guadalcanal. He also laughed about some of the duty.

Having the experience leading a detachment then C Company of my battalion, I had developed my opinion of the men and organization of the Seabees. The enlisted men were honest, hardworking, young guys mostly with high school educations. They obeyed orders, gave good advice to a young officers and were a group of men I respected. For the most part we were builders, making improvements that allowed the Navy to fight the war wherever and whatever was needed.

I often wondered why and how the Seabees were formed and what they did during WWII. The Seabees weren't like the John Wayne movie "Fighting Seabee's! They were and are actually much better with less bravado. The CBs were formed because WWII was won by constructing five new roads across the world. The book explains this to a degree. It also presents other accomplishments the CBS provided the army and Navy to successfully achieve landings on hostile beaches. The Navy box was designed by a CEC officer and developed and deployed by CBs. These steel boxes formed causeways for landing tanks, trucks and heavy equipment directly to the beach; among other things. Without them, we would have never won the battle on D-day or other amphibious assaults in the Pacific, Africa, Sicily and Italy. Seabees became experts in building airfields in the Pacific. Without airfields, we could not attack northward ultimately to Japan.

The men of the Seabees during WWII were enlisted from skilled construction workers and engineers. Every man was an experienced carpenter, electrician, plumber, mechanic, machinist, welder, surveyor, draftsman or designer. A CB battalion also had a supply department, administration department and medical personnel. They performed in all kinds of weather. They would improvise when material or tools were not available. They figured a way to do their Job. Their motto 'Can Do" came from their ingenuity and work ethic. The total manpower of CBs in WWII was over 200.000 men. They grew from the first 100 or so men to those thousands.

My experience with the CBS demonstrated their ability to adapt and complete a task. When I arrived in Nam, the unit was about 300 men spread over many detachments in II, III & Iv Corps. In less than a month we grew from 300 to about 1200 people. We went from fixing vehicles and plumbing to pouring concrete, building housing, community centers and other structures. Men learned how to manufacture brick and build brick walls almost overnight.

The Seabees did a fabulous job in WWII and are continuing to perform in that high standard today.
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Kristopher M. Schnee
4.0 out of 5 stars WWII Propaganda, But No Less Interesting For That
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2018
Verified Purchase
It's from early 1944, opening with talk about how we'll invade France soon. Best to read it as a mix of actual history, and propaganda. Even so, it's a history of an easily overlooked group of hard-working men -- volunteers -- who helped win the war by doing the less obvious jobs. These were soldiers who could build a combat airport in two weeks, in the middle of nowhere, with improvised materials, while people were trying to kill them. Their specific techniques and their interaction with the other military branches are interesting to read about too.
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Jim Phipps
5.0 out of 5 stars The only thing they all noticed was bad body odor
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2018
Verified Purchase
Clearly an interesting book. My father was a Seabee on Guadalcanal and saw the action described in this book. The Seabees converted Guadalcanal and other islands into full fledged military bases that turned around the Pacific War. However, the Seabees were everywhere around the world. My father's battalion won a Presidential Citation for an opposed landing.

The book covers events and the hard work without the proper tools and did it well. They begged or borrowed or stole whatever they needed. It is worth the small cost if you have any interest in the Seabees or WW2 history. My only minor gripe, it didn't enough of the blue collar Seabees who did the job. It also left out one or more stories my father told me. The Seabees set up an unofficial manufacturing business for the Marines making 30-06 FMJ bullets into hollow points with a drill press and a drill jig. The Seabees also used Caterpillars to bury large numbers of Japanese dead. It was necessary in the tropics. Also the author hinted at the souvenir gathering effort by the Seabees. One thing not mentioned was a propensity for Seabees and Marines to knock gold teeth out of deceased Japanese Airmen who were shot down bombing Guadalcanal. The author never realized that a Japanese Soldier ate in their chow line once in Guadalcanal. Apparently he looked American enough to not get challenged. They all realized that he was Japanese after comparing notes after chow. The only thing they all noticed was bad body odor. Other things not mentioned were transporting Seabees in a Higgins Boat (LCVP?) from Guadalcanal to Tulagi across 26 miles of open ocean. It was case of using whet they had. They came back the same way after they were through.

When I was an infantry officer in South Vietnam, I saw the good work completed by the Seabees. The Seabee traditions in the book continued.

It is an awesome book and covers things most of us Baby Boomers never knew.
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Covers the U.S. Navy Seabees for a Limited Period of World War II
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2018
Verified Purchase
This is a rather detailed, official history of the U.S. Navy Seabees written during the latter portion of World War II by a senior Seabee officer. Many names of enlisted and officers in the Seabees are given, both in explanations of various operations in the Pacific and European theaters and in lists of casualties. An interesting read, but keep in mind that it is a piece of government sanctioned war information.
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Michael Boggs
5.0 out of 5 stars The story of the Seabees
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2021
Verified Purchase
My father-in-law was a Seabee involved in the taking of Saipan. He corroborated much of what I read in this book. He was tough, hardheaded, and impatient with people who fooled around, especially when there was a job to be done. He would tackle any project, even if he had never done it before. He would make it work somehow, it might not be pretty, but it would work. Also, he was extremely proud of his Expert Marksman badge. When he was around 90 years old, he and I were shooting our pellet rifles and I put five rounds in the bullseye. He laughed and said, "I guess I'm going to have to rate you expert now." That made me feel really good. He passed away last year at the age of 94, and always proud of his service record until the day he died.
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2018
Verified Purchase
I read this book so I could get more insight into the Seabees and what they did in WWII. My Dad was a Seabee and fought in WWII. This book helped me understand some. From one Vet (Army) to all Vets, thank you for your service and your sacrifice.
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