By Kathy Chouteau
The SS Red Oak Victory received some much-needed assistance ahead of its Motherās Day Breakfast from several crews of Chevron Richmond employees recently.
The volunteer effort was particularly special for this group: It was organized by Chevron Richmondās Veterans Employee Network, which works to connect and provide resources for the many veterans who work at the company.
Volunteers included Gregg Bernardo, Contract Safety and U.S. Marine Corps veteran; Jason Christenson, Process Engineering; Aurora Garcia, Payroll Department; Shawn Mahmood, Utilities Division and U.S. Army veteran; Eva Ma; and Will Rainford, who performs routine maintenance at the company. They hoisted and set-up chairs at soon-to-be breakfast tables throughout the ship and loaded boxes of food through hallways, tight doorways and down stairwells into their rightful preparatory spots.
They made up one of four overall groups of six people each to volunteer on the Red Oak Victory over the course of two days.
While aboard the ship, the group met Stan Buck, a retired welder who worked in Chevron Richmondās Boiler Shop and is now part of the all-volunteer crew who help keep the Red Oak Victory afloat.
Mahmood said his colleagues jumped at the opportunity to help out on the ship.
āAll shifts were full and there was a waitlist as well,ā he said. A Point Richmond resident who was visiting the ship for the first time, he added, āWe want to be a good neighbor here.ā
But it wasnāt all work for the volunteers that day. The Red Oak Victory kicked off the work session with an up-close-and-personal tour of the ship given by volunteer crew member Kim Abbott. Highlights of his tour included the shipās decks and the captainās quarters, which looked like it was frozen in time. An added highlight? Resident Ospreys, Rosie and Richmondāwho made their nest in a crane adjacent to the Red Oak Victoryāhad a starring role during the shipās tour and currently are keeping two eggs safe and warm.
Garcia, a lifelong Richmond resident, said that touring and volunteering on the Red Oak Victory was āso cool.ā She added, āI didnāt even know this ship was here in Richmond and weāre taking care of itā¦Iām going to bring my kidāheās going to love itāand my husband too. Heās going to love it too.ā
Mahmood called the Red Oak Victory a ārelic of historyā and said preserving it is important.
Ā āThis ship was American builtā¦and weāre coming up on Memorial Day, so obviously during WWII, a lot of people served and lost their lives to protect this country and what it stands for today,ā he said.
The Red Oak Victory is located at 1337 Canal Blvd., Berth 5, in Richmond and welcomes volunteers. To learn more about the ship, volunteering or its seasonal pancake breakfasts, click here. Learn more about Chevron Richmond here.