KINGS BAY, Ga. - TRIDENT Refit Facility (TRF-KB) honored 32 "Class of 2023" Apprentices during a graduation ceremony Oct. 20. 2023, at the College of Coastal Georgia, Camden.
The 28th TRF-KB apprentice graduation capped a demanding four-year training program that included more than 7200 hours of college academic courses, specific trade-theory learning, and hands-on training designed to produce highly skilled and proficient journeyman-level technicians.
“Your work ethic, dedication to your mission, and on-time deliveries are known across the enterprise,” said keynote speaker Capt. Joseph Meier, Commanding Officer, Submarine Maintenance Engineering, Planning and Procurement in Kittery, Maine, and a former Repair Officer and Department Head at TRF-KB. “I challenge you to keep that reputation strong because the burden you carry as the maintainers of these great ships is not an easy one, but your success is one of the keys to our national security.”
Established in 1990, the highly acclaimed TRF-KB Apprenticeship Program has graduated 565 apprentice craftsmen in a variety of technical trades including Electrician, Electronics Mechanic, Marine Machinery Mechanic, Machinist, Non-Destructive Test Inspector, Pipefitter, Rigger, Tile and Plate Setter, Sheet Metal Mechanic, Painter, Fabric Worker, Shipwright, Instrument Mechanic, Rubber and Plastics Fabricator, Insulator, Shipfitter, Water Treatment Plant Operator, and Welder.
“This impressive list of trades and courses is clearly representative of the importance we place in having our TRF employees highly trained and skilled," said Capt. Mark Yates, Commanding Officer, TRIDENT Refit Facility, Kings Bay. "Thereby, ensuring we maintain the most capable, stealthiest, and safest submarines in the world."
Valedictorian honors for the Class of 2023 went to Jason Meier and the class Salutatorian was Cody Heath.
Meier and Heath both excelled in academics, trade theory courses, quarterly progress report grades and on-the-job tasks during their four years in the apprentice program.
“A lot has happened since we went to InDOC together," recalled Jason Meier, the Valedictorian of the 2023 graduating class. "We have laughed and cussed, been tired, went home dirty, worked hard, worked not so hard, and most importantly we have made mistakes and learned from them. Four years of that and I know the journeymen before us today are better than the first year apprentices we used to be.”
Special recognition also went to Meier who maintained a 4.0 grade point average during his college academic career and to seven other graduates who maintained a 3.75 grade point average or higher that included Gary Denis, Caleb Goodson, Cody Heath, Kyle Post, Evan Richardson, Hunter Strickland and Thomas Waldrop.
Three graduates also received the prestigious Steve Swan Memorial Award.
Established in honor of a former apprentice who graduated from the program at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Steve Swan, or “Swanny” as he was fondly known, served for many years as the TRF-KB Shop 38 General Foreman before he passed away in 2014.
The award recognizes apprentices who exemplify the characteristics of Swan’s leadership, his unmatched work ethic, positive attitude and his insatiable desire to learn.
The 2023 recipients of the Steven Swan Memorial Award were Landen Peeples, Cody Heath and Thomas Waldrop.
Swanny’s son, David, an Electrician Work Leader in Shop 51B, delivered a heartfelt and emotional address before presenting the awards to this year’s honorees. He challenged the graduates to do their best each and every day … The same advice his Dad gave him years ago.
“’Have you done your best today?’ is a quote from (Swanny) that is carved on the award that some of you will receive today,” said Swan. “It was a saying that defined the way he lived his life. Always try your best; you will have good days and bad days, successes and failures, but one thing you can always control is your effort.”
With another apprentice graduation in the books, the future of TRIDENT Refit Facility is in good hands and ready to support the national defense strategy safely repairing and maintaining our Nation’s elite submarine force.
“TRF-KB constantly rises to the challenges placed in front of it, and today’s graduates will become part of our fantastic team of military and civilian personnel,” said Yates. “Keeping Our Warships … War Ready!”
| Date Taken: | 10.20.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 10.23.2023 12:52 |
| Story ID: | 456325 |
| Location: | KINGS BAY, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 43 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, TRF-KB Celebrates Class of 2023 Apprentices, by Keith Boydston, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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