VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Seabees weren’t about to let a steady downpour and an incoming threat of a hurricane stop them from raising money for the families of wounded shipmates.

Nearly 100 active and former Seabees and supporters braved terrible weather Thursday to participate in the inaugural Seabee Purple Heart Golf Classic at Heron Ridge Golf Club here in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The event raised $50,000 that will go towards scholarships for the children of Seabees who have been awarded the Purple Heart. Nearly 100 Seabees have been wounded in action, and another 18 have been killed.

"Seabees persevere through everything, and this was no exception," said retired Rear Adm. Mark Handley, the last commander of First NavalNaval Construction Division, which was decommissioned in May 2013. "I have never seen a group of people faced with heavy rains yet be so upbeat and positive about it."

The field included everyone from a petty officer third class to a former three-star Marine general, as well as Purple Heart recipients from the Seabee community. One was Lt. Matthew Catanese, who was wounded in a 2004 rocket attack in Mosul, Iraq. The 17-year vet, who has two daughters, called the event "humbling."

"It is phenomenal, what they are doing here," said Catanese, who traveled from Gulfport, Mississippi, to participate. "It goes to show you that this is a family. We are a small community, but a tight community. I was a junior enlisted guy oncewants, I know how the hard work goes and it is never fun. But you are taking care of from the day you come out of boot camp to the day you are laid to rest. That's the truth of it, and you can see that God-honest today."

The monies will be disbursed through the Seabee Memorial Scholarship Association, which has awarded more than $4 million in 2,500 scholarships since 1972.

"We've been sending Seabees into combat for more a decade," Handley said. "Many of them have sacrificed a great deal, personally and professionally. There are a lot of programs that take care of our wounded warriors, but we also saw there was a need to look after their families a little bit more. That is what makes this a great day, no matter the weather."

CUTLINE:

Among those who braved the weather to support the families of wounded Seabees were (from left) retired Rear Adm. Charles Kubic, retired Rear Adm. Mark Handley, former Seabee Mark Christiansen, retired Lt. Gen. Dennis Hejlik, Lt. Matthew Catanese, and Rear Adm. Louis Cariello, commander of Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic.

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