KUWAIT CITY -- On Thursday, the last 60 members of Naval Construction Battalion 4 flew into Al Mubarak Air Base to begin their mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

There was a somber silence on the DC-10 as the Seabees strained to look through their windows at the brown landscape that would become their home for at least six months. The stark landscape seemed to sap any bit of adrenaline or enthusiasm from their bodies. There wasn't a "hoo-raa" left.

"There's nothing green out there," observed a Navy doctor on the plane.

The entire 700-member Port Hueneme-based battalion, which includes reservists, is now in the Middle East and Europe. Commanding Officer James Worcester greeted the last of his troops to arrive with relief.

"This allows me to fine-tune my focus, as opposed to dealing with the people getting here," he said. "It's a challenge to maintain command of your unit when they are located at three or four locations around the world."

The Seabees from Battalion 4 are part of thousands of Seabees at five or six Kuwaiti bases preparing for a possible war with Iraq. They are part of more than 300,000 U.S. troops stationed on land and sea surrounding Iraq. The Seabees support other troops with their construction and mechanical skills. They can look forward to many 14-hour days in the bleak desert until they return to the United States.

The mood on the plane as they touched down seemed to reflect the somber reality of what they had come to do. It was bolstered by words from an officer who came on board before they were allowed to disembark.

"You are in threat condition Delta," he said. "Terrorist activity is high."

After the warning, the Seabees were hustled out of the plane into buses with blue curtains on the windows. The curtains were drawn, and Seabees were warned not to part them. Although the temperatures were still comfortably in the 70s, not yet reaching their 120-degree summer highs, the bus was stifling. The Seabees held their M-16 machine guns tightly between their knees. Through the front windshield of the bus, they could see bale after twisted bale of barbed wire spread across fences. They could see cement bunkers covered with sand bags. They could see a desolate landscape that seemed to go on forever.

There was no sound in the bus until the dust of Kuwait settled in their noses, dried from two days of air travel, and the sneezing began. The only movement on the bus was a tall trim Marine, traveling with the Seabees, who wiggled his dangling right foot.

However, when they arrived at Camp Wolf, they were greeted with handshakes and warm smiles from Worcester and other battalion leaders.

Many allowed themselves to smile for the first time since they got "in-country."

"We'll give them a day to get caught up on sleep," Worcester said. "Then orientation. Then work. Seabees can't stand idle. It's part of the mentality."