By Gary Rice
NADEP NEWS Editor

Josh Morales and Frank DeChiaro have each worked at NADEP for about a year and a half. In their jobs as plastic fabricator helpers in the Fiberglass Composite Shop, Building 4224, they repair and remanufacture helicopter floorboards, mainly for the H-46 but sometimes for the H-53.

“I’m pretty familiar with most of the work that’s done in the shop,” Morales said. “I know how to use the technical manuals and understand the various work procedures, but Frank and I are still only the helpers. Big Daddy is the artisan."

He’s the man,” DeChiaro agreed. "He's the one who is showing us the ropes."

Clifton “Big Daddy” Green, Plastic Fabricator Mechanic, has been at NADEP for over 20 years. He is certified in all areas of the shop, and is actively involved in the training of the new helpers.

"I love my job and the things I do here," Green said. "We often have a part come in that seems almost impossible to fix, but we have to do something with it. We do whatever it takes to get the job done, and I really enjoy that kind of challenge."

Green worked at two boat building companies, Hatteras Yachts and Uniflight, before coming to work at the depot. He says those jobs gave him his earliest experiences with fiberglass.

"I've been working with fiberglass since 1961," he said, "and I hope to stay with it here in this shop until I retire."

Green's hobbies include baseball and basketball, but he really loves to play golf. He also likes to spend time exercising at the gym. Born and raised in Craven County, he has a wife and five children, three boys and two girls. Not to give away his age, but of his five kids, he says his "baby" is 36 years old.

Morales worked in the NADEP Technical Library prior to moving into his current job. Before that, he served a three-year tour of duty in the Marines and also worked on boats at Hatteras Yachts, where he laminated hulls and manufactured small parts. Much of the work he did on the boats was similar to what he does now at the depot.

“That job gave me a lot of good background experience for my job here,” he said.

Morales says he enjoys his work and plans to build a career at the depot. He hopes to enhance his career potential through schooling and is currently enrolled at Craven County Community College. His main hobby is rebuilding old cars, and he has been involved in auto bodywork since the age of 14. The El Paso, Texas, native has a daughter, age five.

DeChiaro served for 23 years in the Coast Guard before retiring in 1996. He spent his last four years of active duty as the officer in charge of the station in Swansboro. After leaving the service, he ran charter fishing boats and later went to work for the Cherry Point Facilities Maintenance Depart as a heavy equipment operator.

DeChiaro lives in the area with his wife, Catherine. His daughter lives in Arizona with his two grandchildren, and his son lives in South Carolina. His hobbies include hunting and fishing, and he still occasionally runs charter boats out of Swansboro.

Photo Caption: From left, Josh Morales, Frank DeChiaro, and Clifton Green pose next to a brand new H-46 floorboard in the NADEP Cherry Point Fiberglass Composite Shop in Building 4224. Since H-46 floorboards are no longer in production, and the original was far beyond repair, the men manufactured this replacement part from scratch.