Building the USNS Cesar Chavez (T-AKE 14)

David Aguilar, Burner 

My name is David Aguilar and I am a Burner at General Dynamics NASSCO. I have been blessed to have worked at NASSCO for 47 years. I am now 70 years old and working on this ship has really meant a lot to me.

The first job I had at NASSCO was in Hose Repair. I have worked in Maintenance and then as a Burner on more than 30 ships. I was doing plates on the USNS Cesar Chavez (T-AKE 14) which is the big sheets of metal and we would burn bevels and chamfers or whatever needs to be done. We worked on 100% of all the plates for the ship.

At first we didn’t know it was going to be the Cesar Chavez but when we found out then it was a big deal, especially as a Latino. Even though I never knew him personally, I have gotten to meet some of the family and some of the people who worked side-by-side with Cesar Chavez like Ramon “Chunky” Sanchez.

Working on the Cesar Chavez was really personal for me. I came here in the 60’s so I remember hearing all about the struggles and things Cesar did. Once I realized that I was working on pieces of metal for the Cesar Chavez ship, it made me reflect on what the man has done for so many farm workers and families. So many people I went to school with were farm workers and their families were passing away from all the pesticides. And for Cesar Chavez to bring it all out in the open was really personal for me.

I feel really proud to have worked on this ship, especially when his family came for the christening. He truly united everybody and this ship carries that legacy.

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Juan Gonzalez, Line Heater Working Foreman

I feel really proud to have worked on this ship, especially when his family came for the christening. He truly united everybody and this ship carries that legacy.

My name is Juan Gonzalez and I am currently a Line Heater Working Forman at General Dynamics NASSCO. When I started at NASSCO in 1990 I was a Machine Operator. I have worked on probably 30-40 different ships since being here but this one meant more for me because of what it represented.

My work on the USNS Cesar Chavez (T-AKE 14) was shaping the shell of the ship, all of the metal pieces. We get flat pieces of metal and we give it shape so they can build the ship. We use a roll press and then heat and water to make the rest of it. Like art. We also remove distortions created by welding.

At the beginning, I didn’t know the ship was going to be named after Cesar Chavez but when I found out, it felt good because I’m a Latino and I feel very proud of it. I think it was the right thing to do because of what he did for the community. When it was launched, I was able to see his family and it was really special. I feel a lot better having been able to work on this ship because of what it means for the Latino community.