Ten Seafarers graduated Nov. 5 from the bosun recertification course at the SIU-affiliated Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education.
The four-week course is considered the top curriculum available to deck department mariners at the Piney Point, Md. school.
As is customary, each bosun addressed fellow members, unlicensed apprentices and SIU officials upon receiving a graduation certificate. Most talked about how the union and school have helped enable them to earn good livings and support their families. They noted that the recertification class will help them do a better job aboard ship. Finally, they encouraged the apprentices to stick with the program and take advantage of the opportunities available both through the SIU and the Paul Hall Center.
Successfully completing the recertification course were (in the order in which they were introduced at the meeting) Thomas McGregor, who ships from the port of Tacoma, Wash.; Ion Irimia (New York); Charles James (Baltimore); Kennard Campbell (Mobile, Ala.); Ahmed Mihakel (Wilmington, Calif.); Darryl Smith (Tacoma); Maurice David Hetrick (Houston); Albert Brzezinski (Algonac); Winston Thompson (Tacoma and Houston); and Robert Vazquez (New York).
The bosun recertification class emphasizes hands-on training and also includes classroom instruction. The course features training in security awareness, simulators, computers, first aid and CPR, fire fighting, STCW personal safety and survival, small arms and other components. Students reviewed international maritime conventions affecting their livelihoods, and also met with representatives from the union’s various departments as well as from the Seafarers Plans office.
McGregor noted that his association with the school dates back to 1983, when he was part of the first trainee class to utilize the then-new training and recreation center. He described his most recent experience at the campus as “excellent,” and added, “I will now have better facts to answer questions aboard my ship.”
Addressing the apprentices, McGregor stated, “Once you get out there (aboard ship), you’re going to get a reputation, like it or not, good or bad. People will either shake their heads or shake your hand. Make sure it’s the latter.”
Irimia declared that, as SIU members, “we are in good hands. The SIU helps make your dreams come true.”
He said the recertification class “was a very good experience. I especially learned more about communication and will share it with others on my ships. We all were treated very well and with great respect.”
Turning to the trainees, he concluded, “When you have a chance to learn, pay attention. This is a great school. You can go from the bottom to the top.”
Touching on a theme mentioned by several of his classmates, James said that the union has helped enable him “to support my family. I credit the leadership of (SIU President) Mike Sacco, (Executive Vice President) Augie Tellez and the other officials. This union is very important to me.”
James also thanked the Paul Hall Center instructors and encouraged the apprentices to “pay attention here and on the ships. Learn your trade—it’s a good trade.”
Campbell said he signed on with the SIU during the Persian Gulf War, in 1991. Since then, “With the SIU’s support, I’ve earned a good wage so I can take care of my family.”
He urged the trainees to “show initiative, work hard and get along with your shipmates. Leave each job better than you found it.”
Mihakel continued in that same vein, describing the SIU as “important” and “a big deal” specifically because it presented him “with the opportunity to earn a good living.”
Speaking to the apprentices, he stated, “Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Your brothers on the ship will teach you.”
Smith called the class “an enlightening experience regarding the overall knowledge and camaraderie of fellow seamen. I thank all the membership that has helped me to understand how our union works hard to make a better life for us all.”
He also advised the trainees to “stick with it, work hard and listen. You, too, can be up here one day as a recertified bosun or steward or whatever you want to achieve. It’s a damn good life.”
Hetrick shared that he “stumbled into this (career) while looking for a better way of life, and I found it. The SIU has allowed me opportunities I never had anywhere else. I’ve sailed all over the world, and it gives me great pleasure to be able to do this.”
Reflecting on the course, Hetrick cited small arms training as a highlight along with the overall interaction with instructors and staff members. He also recommended that his fellow members support SPAD, the union’s voluntary political action fund, because “that’s what keeps the jobs here.”
Speaking to the apprentices, he advised, “Pay attention to your leaders out there and don’t get distracted when you’re doing a job.”
Brzezinski praised multiple aspects of the school, from the instructors to the course content, and from the grounds to the menus. He said the class improved his understanding of the “big picture” in the maritime industry as well as his capacity to relay accurate information aboard ship. He called his first trip to Piney Point “a 10-star experience.”
“The SIU has been good for me and my family,” Brzezinski added. “I’ve always had work, always had benefits…. The SIU leadership are the people who know the industry and look out for our jobs.”
After describing SPAD as an important “tool to keep the U.S. flag flying” on the high seas, he told the trainees, “Set attainable goals. You can go as far as you desire. Ask questions, listen, work hard and give 100 percent to every job.”
Thompson noted that he had served in the U.S. Marine Corps partly to fulfill a lifelong desire for travel. However, “I wasn’t really happy until someone turned me on to the SIU. The union has been so important to me. It has enhanced my lifestyle, educated me and given me the chance to travel.”
He then recited to the apprentices what he described as “the three Ls: you look, you listen and you will learn. When you work aboard that ship, that’s all you’ve got. That’s your family.”
Wrapping up the graduation remarks, Vazquez said, “I have so much gratitude for the opportunities to enhance my skills and improve my lifestyle for my family. This is a very strong union, and my overall experience at the school was excellent. I encourage everybody to attend.”
Vazquez said to the trainees, “Never waste an opportunity to learn. Always work hard and do your best.”
He concluded, “Fair winds and following seas. I’ll see everybody out there.”
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