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Last week, leaders from across both the San Diego construction and military communities gathered to honor one of their own Captain Mike Williamson from Pacific Coast Iron. Mike was AGC San Diego’s President in 2021 and continues to serve on the Board of Directors after a distinguished career in the United States Navy that included three deployments to the Persian Gulf, a stint at the Pentagon, and command of NAVFAC Hawaii.
The event, as usual, was kicked off with some friendly “Beat Army” banter by emcee and Marine Corps pilot (and Naval Academy grad!) Adam Crecion. Sean Roy, CEO of San Diego-Imperial Council Scouting America, also offered an update on scouting.
By way of video, Mike shared his thoughts on scouting with a mantra he said came from his time in the Persian Gulf: “We will always succeed…always” and “put your interests aside and worry about the interests of the whole.”
Rear Admiral (Ret) Bret Muilenburg served as keynote speaker. He met Mike in 2002 and previously spoke at Mike’s retirement from the Navy in Hawaii in 2015. He began with a patriotic tribute to the Navy saying he was “in awe” of their performance today. When they were both stationed in Pearl Harbor, they were neighbors. “Mike,” he continued, “was an okay neighbor…but Molly [Mike’s better half] is the world’s greatest neighbor!”
Rear Admiral Muilenburg then told the story of Mike’s attempt to create “AGC Iraq.” He joined the Seabee battalion in Southern Iraq in 2003 and talked about how the mission quickly became repair and rebuild schools, medical facilities, and whatever towns needed to get back on their feet in the aftermath of the fall of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. He joked that “a Seabee is bolting together a tradesman and infantryman,” and said the workload was tremendous and required hiring and training local craftsmen to work side by side with the Seabees. The going rate in Iraq in 2003? $2 per man, per day. He said the men were eager and good at what they did and soon the Seabees role transitioned to more quality control and construction management.
The Rear Admiral shared his four points for success:
1. Surround yourself with capable people (more capable than yourself if you can)
2. Train them in the ways and processes of your organization
3. Create and maintain a culture of morality and integrity
4. Issue your commander’s intent…be a leader!
RADM Muilenburg wrapped up with a short anecdote about the day Mike got the radio call: “We have located WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction). Get Seabees over there and take possession.” Ever the doer, Mike grabbed a bulldozer, excavator, and a crew and went “racing toward the WMD” (without, they noted, the use of today’s robust GPS technology!). The second call soon came over the radio, “false alarm, abort mission!”
“I’ve always wanted to know,” the Rear Admiral quipped to laughter while looking at Mike, “what you were going to do when you got there?!”
Mike who is famous for encouraging us to “tell our story”…hasn’t told that story.
The lunch continued with video tributes from friends and family, including a funny story from Mike’s wife Molly in which she recounted a particularly stressful holiday season where she was trying to make marzipan and ended up burning it. Mike, trying to cheer her up, deposited the burnt pieces along with a can of corn into the toilet, which got a good chuckle from Molly (years later anyway!) and the audience.
Other tributes poured in: “Insanely curious,” “character and integrity,” and “not afraid of challenges.” AGC Board Member and longtime friend, Steve Friar, channeling Mike’s famous affinity for golf, said “Mike: You are a birdie, while the rest of us are par or bogey.”
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