Versailles native serves with Seabees in the U.S. Navy

GULFPORT, Miss. — Petty Officer 2nd Class Kaileah Harkins, a native of Versailles, Kentucky, serves in the U.S. Navy assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion in Gulfport, Mississippi, home to the Atlantic Fleet Seabees.

Harkins graduated from Lafayette High School in 2021.

The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Versailles.

“I learned the value of hard work, communication, and teamwork through my experience in the service industry,” Harkins said. “Those ethics have been instrumental in my success in the Navy.”

Harkins joined the Navy three years ago. Today, Harkins serves as a builder.

“I joined the military to answer a lifelong calling and fulfill a sense of obligation,” Harkins said. “I grew up in a military family and I felt a strong calling to do it as well.”

Navy Seabees, formally known as naval construction forces, provide a wide range of construction in support of operating forces, including roads, bridges, bunkers, airfields and logistics bases. Additionally, they provide responsive support for disaster recovery operations, perform civic action projects to improve relations with other nations, and provide anti-terrorism and force protection for personnel and construction projects.