Page 23 - South Mississippi Living - October, 2021

After graduating Ridgewood High School and Coshoc- ton County Vocational School, he enlisted in the Navy on 22 September 1999. Upon completion of Builder A-school in Gulfport, MS, BUC Border completed a successful tour deploying twice with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion ONE. During his follow on shore duty tour with 20th Seabee Readiness Group, he served as a Contingency Construction Crew in- structor before reporting to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion SEVENTY FOUR and deploying to Helmand Province, Afghanistan in August 2010.
A few months after returning home from deployment in 2011 to Afghanistan’s Helmand Province with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion SEVENTY FOUR, BUC Border volunteered for an Individual Augmen- tee billet on a Provincial Reconstruction Team and returned to Afghanistan, where he lost his life in the line of duty.
BUC Border was killed when an improvised explo- sive device detonated while he was executing a road assessment for a convoy in Patika Province, Afghani- stan, on 19 October 2011.
BUC Raymond J. Border is the first Seabee and first Chief Petty Officer from the Seabee Fleet Concentration Area in Gulfport to be killed in action during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star (with combat V), Purple Heart, and Combat Action Ribbon. He was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achieve- ment Medal (two awards) and the Navy Commenda- tion Medal during his previous naval service.
The ten-year anniversary of Chief Border’s ultimate sacrifice is 19 October 2021.
His memory proudly represents all Seabees that de- ployed to Afghanistan and made the ultimate sacrifice in service to Operation Enduring Freedom and our Nation’s goals.
Come stop by our new sand sculpture where we pay tribute to
Chief Petty Officer Raymond J. Border and other branches of the military!
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net October 2021 | 23