CAMP 93, Kuwait -- When Seabee Kevin Gilley was deployed from Port Hueneme more than six months ago, his wife was pregnant. As he left Souda Bay, Crete, he got a message from the Red Cross that there were complications. When he arrived in Spain the next day, he learned his wife had recovered and he had a son.

Now, after more than two months in the Kuwaiti desert, he's preparing to return to Port Hueneme and see his son for the first time.

"I'll probably say 'Hey kid, daddy's home," he said grinning.

As the Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4 prepare for a possible war, Gilley and the other Seabees from Naval Construction Battalion 5 are preparing to go home.

They've had one of the most diverse deployments in memory. Some of the Seabees have seen five countries on their journey. They arrived in Kuwait in waves and built camps, airfields and trained for combat construction. As they leave in waves, Battalion 4 will replace them.

Inside one tent, about 35 men were asked whether they had any reservations about leaving on the eve of a possible conflict; the answer was a resounding: "Hell no!"

"I used to look forward to crossing the border, but we've been here so long, we are just so damn tired," said Petty Officer 1st class Darrel Essen, 37, who has been in Kuwait since September. "We're ready to go home."

But it's been a ride full of accomplishments. Essen said he's proud that in each project the Seabees "showed other services what Seabees are capable of."

"A lot of people have never heard of Seabees," Essen said. "But when they see what you can do, they don't want to give us up."

Petty Officer 3rd Class David Yost, 26, was originally deployed to Norfolk, Va., on Aug. 28. But he also went to Rota, Spain; Adgir, Morocco; then Kuwait. He said riding a camel in Morocco was like "riding a really smooth but slow quarter horse."

"This deployment is like 'Wow!" Yost said. "I've been so many places, so many experiences, so many cultures. It's a good story to tell my kids and grandkids." But he said he looks forward to "home, blessed home."

Constructionman Nick Peoples, 23, of West Plains, Miss., said his favorite place during the tour was Spain.

"We got to walk on the beach every day," Peoples said.

"I got to see the third-oldest cathedral in the world and got some pictures."

Despite extraordinary opportunities to see the world, Gilley said being away while his wife was sick with toxemia and his son was born is the hardest thing he's ever done. He hated missing the feel of his wife's stomach as it reverberated with the kick of his son. He hates having missed his son's first cry. But he's glad he's been able to do his job, and now leave.

"It's good we're here and have done so much," Gilley said. "But (Battalion) 4 can pick up where we left off. The bridge isn't that hard to build."