Where Bees Swarm is a novel about the Seabees in Vietnam, whose motto is, "We Build, We Fight." The setting is the I Corps of South Vietnam, where Marines are the primary fighting force and Navy Seabees are the construction force who build what the combat forces need. The Seabees accomplish their work with fighting as a backdrop. Snipers, constant shelling, and mined roads take their toll of minds and men. Dawson learns about battle fatigue, he finds out that it's not just a "chicken way out." He experiences the uncontrollable fear war can instill in a man. For a while fear makes it almost impossible for him to do his job. He has to force himself to go back into the "hot" areas time after time. Then, with the help of Lati, a Vietnamese woman, he discovers a hidden reservoir of courage and faith that helps him overcome the pervasive fear and enables him to keep going.