JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR HICKAM, Hi. –
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – Lewis Walters was a 16-year-old apprentice at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard when he answered the urgent radio call that "all government workers report to your assigned duty stations" on Dec. 7, 1941. He avoided strafing by attacking aircraft, helped removed casualties from one of the stricken ships and moved ammunition to resupply ships as they fought back. Six months later, he was part of the massive repair efforts that enabled USS Yorktown play a pivotal role in the Navy’s victory in the Battle of Midway.
Walters and Clifford Chun, a shipyard laborer who also responded to the call on December 7, were living reminders of Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facilities legacy of service. Both joined 300 family members and guests to congratulate 85 new journey workers upon their graduation from the Shipyard’s Apprentice Program on Aug. 11, 2017 at Pearl Harbor- Hickam.
U.S. Rep. Coleen Hanabusa, D-Hi, was the keynote speaker at the graduation ceremony, which marked the completion of an intensive four-year apprentice program.
Hanabusa stressed to the new journey workers the important role they assume in the defense of the nation.
“Those of you who work in the Shipyard are essential to the protection of this great country,” said Hanabusa. “And we know that even more today. You will play such a major role in how the United States establishes its continued presence in the Pacific.”
U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz, D-Hi, and Mazie Hirono, D-Hi, also congratulated the newest shipyard workers, challenging them as they entered the next phase of their lives.
“Today is important because of the purpose of your work,” said Schatz. “Your country needs you. You are the backbone of the Shipyard, and by extension, the Navy.”
Schatz placed into historic perspective the important role played by Shipyard workers in the past, sharing with the graduates the story of repairs made to USS Yorktown prior to the battle of Midway and how the current class may be called to face similar challenges in the future. “Today you become part of an unbroken chain of the people who keep our country safe,” said Schatz.
Hirono’s message to the newest journey workers bridged the past to the present, as she reflected on current events in the Pacific.
“Given what’s going on in the world today, the work you have done and the training you have received is very important,” stressed Hirono. “We need workers like you to maintain, repair and overhaul the ships and submarines in our fleet.”
The graduates, representing twelve shops and ten trades, completed four-year, full-time, paid apprenticeships that combined academic study with on-the-job work experience. They earned associate’s degrees from Honolulu Community College as well as certification in their respective trades from the Navy and U.S. Department of Labor. Graduates transitioned to mechanic or journey worker status in shipyard jobs that pay an average of nearly $31 an hour.
Capt. Greg Burton, PHNSY & IMF commander, recognized the service of Walters and Chun as part of long tradition of men and women who have gone above and beyond the call of duty throughout the history of the Shipyard, and welcomed the new journey workers to this legacy.
“Today, each one of you formally takes your place in a legacy steeped in the Shipyard’s core values of Honor, Courage, Commitment, and Aloha -- and the Navy attributes of Integrity, Accountability, Initiative and Toughness,” said Burton. “There will continue to be many opportunities in the future for you to forge the steel in your backs to keep our fleet ‘Fit to Fight,’ and directly contribute to (Naval Sea Systems Command)’s number #1 priority – on-time delivery of ships and submarines.”
Toni Peralto, a Shop 38 marine machinery mechanic, and Dorothy Chong, who joins Shop 51 as an electrician, delivered remarks on behalf of the apprentice class.
Peralto, who earned a place in the Apprentice Program after four different applications, was very direct in her assessment of her graduating class.
“I think my class is the bomb,” Peralto declared to the cheers of her classmates.
Peralto recounted the diverse mix of backgrounds among her classmates, which came from previous employments fields as the military, education, retail, social and postal work.
“We even have a couple of ties to the Hōkūleʻa,” declared Peralto, “and much like the Hōkūleʻa, we have been on a long voyage.”
Chong spoke of overcoming her reluctance to join the Shipyard with the encouragement of her employer.
“He told me it was a job that many people tried for years to get,” shared Chong, the proud mother of three. “He wouldn’t let me pass up the opportunity of a lifetime. Today, it was the best advice I ever had.”