Oct 29 2007
Veterans Day is a national celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. The significance of this solemn occasion is always more profound when our country is at war. In 1944, upon signing the landmark Servicemen's Re-Adjustment Act (widely known as the "GI Bill"), President Franklin Roosevelt offered this pointed observation: "What our servicemen and women want, more than anything else, is the assurance of satisfactory employment upon their return to civil life. The first task after the war should be the maximum utilization of our human and material resources."
Today, there is a burgeoning program that truly exemplifies this spirit. It is called "Helmets to Hardhats." Through the combined commitments of both contractors and unions in the building and construction industry, they are adhering to the long-standing promise that America has always maintained for its transitioning military veterans.
By offering up solid and secure career training opportunities in the booming U.S. construction industry, "Helmets to Hardhats" offers a secure career path for America's military veterans to put their discipline, their values and their training to work as an integral part of a new critical mission - to help re-construct America into a 21st century economic powerhouse. In so doing, these veterans will reap the benefits of a solid, stable career coupled with excellent wages, health care benefits and a secure pension.
Darrell Roberts, Executive Director of Helmets to Hardhats - and a Sheet Metal Worker by trade - knows the value of this program firsthand. "My Army National Guard unit was activated in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and deployed to Kosovo from March 2003 - March 2004, where I served as squad leader of an infantry platoon. For many veterans, being deployed for any length of time puts pressure on service members and their families who are preserve a life back in the states. It was difficult for me to have several men in my platoon receive letters from their employers back home telling them that their jobs had either been filled or phased out. I will never forget the uncertainty on their faces of what was awaiting them upon their return home. That is why this program is so special for me."
To date, more than 183,000 military personnel have registered with Helmets to Hardhats, with more than 5,000 of them moving into well-paying, long term careers in the building and construction industry.
Elizabeth Leadenham is one of these success stories. A former Air Force Reservist, she signed up for the program, received apprenticeship training at no cost to her, and is now a proud member of Plumbers Local 1 in New York. "Waitressing was just getting me by...it wasn't teaching me anything and it wasn't training me for anything. [Helmets to Hardhats] was like a lifesaver...because I didn't know where to start. I'd be the first one to recommend it to anyone."
The Helmets to Hardhats program represents an exceptional link between the mission of the defender and the mission of the builder. It is a one of a kind idea that benefits everyone it touches in tangible, meaningful ways.
In short, Helmets to Hardhats makes a difference. It has been widely recognized by lawmakers and military supporters as one of the most effective and meaningful veteran assistance programs in recent memory. All for one simple reason - it respects the dignity and honor of those who have volunteered to serve our nation, and works to reward their effort and sacrifice by opening doors to solid, secure and rewarding careers.
As California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said, "By supporting the Helmets to Hardhats program, we are helping our returning veterans find high-quality careers. This is a great partnership."
Helmets to Hardhats is a national, federally-funded program designed to connect National Guard, Reserve and transitioning active-duty military members with quality career opportunities within the building and construction industry. The program is sponsored by America's 15 building and construction trades unions (and involves each of their apprenticeship and training programs), along with several national construction industry employer associations...which together represent roughly 4 million construction workers and 82,000 contractors.