Souda Spotlight: Joshua Aponte-Rivera, Manager, Auto Skills Center

Story and photo by Joel Diller, Public Affairs

Joshua Aponte-Rivera, a native of Puerto Rico, joined the Navy in 2014 and served as a master-at-arms for four years. He completed a tour at NSA Souda Bay from 2016 to 2017 and returned in 2020 to be Team Souda’s Auto Skills Center manager.

What is a typical day like for you?

A normal day here is basically ensuring vehicle inspections are done and vehicles are safe to be driven by us out here. Besides that, I am here to answer any questions that customers might have about their vehicles. That basically makes me learn not just about one vehicle type. Also, I can relate with them by researching and learning about their cars, which will, in a way, make my experience go up higher.

Do you have any other roles at MWR?

Right now, I am in charge of a project in which we have six (remote controlled) cars made by Traxxas and … we just got (the project) cleared by the CO. Also, due to COVID, the gym can only be manned by U.S. personnel … so when I’m not working here, I’m working there. I basically help them run the gym as a manager whenever the manager gets off work at 2 p.m.

How did you become good at fixing cars?

Back to my roots – when I was a little kid my mom’s car would break down and every time we went to fix it the parts would cost about a $100 but the install would be twice as much. So that’s when I said, “Naw, I’m not cool with that. I would rather learn how to fix cars and do it on my own to save that much money.” So, little by little I started buying parts and putting them on and watching YouTube videos on how to do it. Then as time went by it got easier and easier, like playing with Legos. And now it’s to the point where I can listen to an engine and hear, “this is doing that noise – it has to be because this part is causing it.” I’ve been working on cars for four years as a hobby, mainly. And then after I got out of the Navy I went to school for it.

Do you have a favorite thing you like to do on cars?

Yeah, engine swaps. To me it’s pretty cool that you can do that to a car. You can get whatever smaller engine is on it already and put in a bigger one, or a smaller one, whatever you want. For me that’s cool that you can make an engine from another car work on your car.

Besides working on cars, do you have any hobbies outside of work?

Out here in Greece, nothing just yet due to everything being closed. But before everything closed, I used to be into extreme sports – anything that gets my adrenaline going, that’s fun for me.

Are you here with your family?

Out here I have a wife and then the rest of my family is in Puerto Rico and Florida.

What do you want Team Souda to know?

I think everyone should know that we are here for them to make their island beaters, or island cars, not be beaters. There are also things that people don’t know about importing their vehicles to the states. They think that they bought a car here, that car has to stay here. Little stuff like that is what I want to teach people.