Most Americans are accustomed to hearing the national anthem before sporting events or other major public gatherings. But for about 40 members of Albany, N.Y., Local 236, it's a daily ritual on the jobsite.

They work for Newport News Shipbuilding at the Naval Nuclear Laboratory's Kenneth A. Kesselring site in nearby West Milton, N.Y., where they help build and maintain the nuclear submarine prototype used to train Navy officers and enlisted personnel. The current S8G prototype is in the final stages of a re-fueling and overhaul that Navy officials say will extend its life another 20 years.

Every day, at 8 a.m., the national anthem echoes throughout the 2,500-acre complex. No matter what is going on, all of the site's approximately 1,100 employees and contracted personnel stop and place their right hand over their heart — even outside during the frigid upstate New York winter mornings.

"They take it very seriously and I love that," said journeyman inside wireman Phil Waller, an electrical foreman for Newport News. "It's a reminder of what you're doing here. You're not just getting a paycheck. You're supporting the U.S. Navy."

"My father was a Marine and I grew up in a military family," said journeyman inside wireman Riley Pitcheralle, who has worked at Kesselring for nearly five years. "This site is important to the country and it means a lot to be here. What we do gets [Navy members] ready for sea."

The Kesselring site began work in the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program in 1950 and Local 236 members have been there nearly from the outset. The first nuclear sub prototype was ready for use five years later. Nearly 50,000 Navy personnel have been trained since that initial prototype — the most famous being future President Jimmy Carter, a Naval Academy graduate and officer who went through training at Kesselring in 1952.

"We've enjoyed the work and we've been very proud to play our part in national security," Business Manager Michael Mastropietro said. "It's something we take a lot of pride in. The members up there put in a lot of time and hard work and have a real commitment to quality. They're doing the right thing for the country."

That service to the nation is a big draw for Local 236 members but far from the only one.

"To me, the biggest thing is it's just a cool experience," said Waller, who oversees welding operations for Newport News. "If you've never been in this place, it leaves a lot to the imagination."

Inside wireman Kyle Jones applied for work at Kesselring after a family friend told him how much he enjoyed the work back in the 1970s.

"It's something different," he said. "It's not the same old roughing-in wire."

The Kesselring site demands much from the people working there. Electricians are used to exacting standards and emphasis on safety at other jobsites. But Local 236 members now at Kesselring say nothing is close to the standards there.

All employees and contracted personnel, including Local 236 members, go through a rigorous security clearance process that can take up to two years. For many jobs, topping out and having a journeyman's license is enough to put a member right to work. Not at Kesselring. Local 236 members and workers from other trades still face several weeks of classroom training for a pretty obvious reason.

Even the most experienced inside wiremen isn't often asked to work on a nuclear submarine prototype vital to national security. It's a totally different experience, and the Navy's construction requirements must be met to the letter.

"There's not too many jobs where you go and sit in a classroom for eight hours after you're hired," Jones said.

Often times, parts and equipment have different names than other jobs. For instance, Waller noted that a cable connector used to join electrical conductors is called a stuffing tube by the Navy and federal government. There are numerous examples of that and it takes time to adjust.

"It's almost like a whole different code book that you follow," he said, "like re-learning a job that you did before. There are similarities, but everything is done to the shipboard method."

Once work starts, Local 236 members are watched closely by government and Navy officials due to security and defense issues and so the prototype matches exactly what is being used in the naval fleet. They regularly consult with leaders on a variety of topics, including college professors and experts on nuclear energy.

They also have hundreds of pages of directions they are expected to follow to the letter. There's no such thing as improvising or going alone on this job.

Local 236's Kesselring members are trained to work as crane electricians — meaning they are licensed to perform electrical work on a crane — but much of their work is done inside the exceedingly cramped quarters of the prototype sub, alongside employees from other trades, such as Carpenters, Pipefitters, Boilermakers and Operating Engineers. Maintaining a positive working relationship sometimes is difficult but essential, said Paul Nylin, Local 236's shop steward at Kesselring.

"We spend a lot of time with the guys up here," he said. "We need to maintain good relationships with everyone. You need to make sure we're all getting along."

That proved even more challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic. A coronavirus cluster infected about 50 workers in the summer of 2020. Even with the recent drop in cases around the country, most of the safety protocols instituted in the early days of the crisis remain.

"There were some jobs you simply had to put less guys on because of the need to maintain six feet [between employees]," Nylin said. "We ran into a few different scenarios where jobs slowed down a little bit, but we kept pushing through and got it done."

But despite those issues, an assignment at Kesselring remains a valuable one for most Local 236 members — and not just because of service to country.

Members assigned there usually remain for 3-5 years, longer than most other assignments within Local 236's jurisdiction, said Scott Bush, a member who works as the asbestos supervisor and also coordinates the wiring of the head of the reactor. Some assigned to maintenance stay even longer.

Wages are high and there are ample opportunities to work overtime. Plus, the trades members assigned to Kesselring are some of the best you will find anywhere, Bush said.

"Because of all these different things we do up here, craftsmanship is at a premium," he said. "Everything is done at such a high skill level. You have the time to do it and are paid to do it as well as you possibly can.

"It's complicated but every guy in this shop is one of the best in the local. It's incredible the talent that is here."

Bush has more than 30 years of experience as a journeyman wireman and is nearing retirement. Wrapping it up by finishing the upgrading of the sub prototype would not be a bad way to go out, he said. Kesselring officials identified a 12-step process that needed to be met and workers currently are on No. 10.

"I'm ex-military," said Bush, who served six years in the Navy. "We feel like we make a difference. It sounds corny but some days, you really feel you're giving it up for defending your country."