FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (April 24, 2015) -- The Army's top installation officer praised the graduates of a new program for transitioning Soldiers for choosing "good, hard American work that builds our country" during a ceremony Friday at Wilson Theater.
Lieutenant Gen. David D. Halverson, commander of the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, and Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management delivered the keynote address at the inaugural commencement for Fort Campbell's Veterans in Piping program. The event recognized the accomplishments of 17 transitioning Soldiers who participated in 18-weeks of condensed training.
The VIP program, offered by the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada, known as the UA, gives transitioning Soldiers the opportunity to train for guaranteed UA apprenticeships in the pipe welding industry. VIP, an initiative under the post's Soldier for Life -- Transition Assistance Program, was recently approved by Fort Campbell leadership.
Halverson shared with the graduates his personal connection to their new civilian career path.
"I'm a Minnesota kid," Halverson said to the graduates and Families. "My father was a conscript in World War II - a farm boy who went into the Navy. When he got back from the war, he had to learn a craft … He was a welder. He built the mining infrastructure of northern Minnesota."
Halverson went on to share the story of how his father excelled in his new trade, retiring as a mine superintendent and raising a Family of seven children.
"He showed me what hard work was about," he said. "So when you talk about welding … about good, hard American work that builds our country, that's what you're talking about."
Halverson also expressed the importance of programs like VIP for Soldiers transitioning to the private sector.
"When you talk about commitments, and what we're trying to do with our transitioning Soldiers via 'Soldier for Life,' it really is important for us to make sure our deeds match our words," he said. "It takes a team to make sure we can set the conditions, and we couldn't do that without the support - not only from our leadership in the Army but also the partnerships we have like Veterans in Piping."
Fort Campbell's first VIP class also was congratulated by Christopher Haslinger, director of training for the UA and overseer of the VIP program.
"Today we're on seven military bases across the country and we're proud to say that hundreds of service members have completed our VIP program and are now earning a good living and providing for their Families," Haslinger said. It's a valuable, essential and rewarding trade that will provide a lifetime of security and retirement with dignity at the end of your life's work. You've earned the right to be here. Always remember that we believe in you. That's why you were chosen for this program."
Prior to receiving their certificates, the graduates received a final word of congratulations from retired Maj. Gen. Matt Caulfield, a former Marine and Veteran employee advocate who serves as a consultant for the VIP program.
"I wanted to say it is simply inspirational the way the Army - and particularly Installation Management Command - has embraced this program in a way that no other service has ever done," Caulfield said. "They are banging at the door to do more because it's the right thing to do for Soldiers. That's the reason they want to do it."
He explained that it was important to him to see Fort Campbell's first graduates - to match the faces to the names and bios he had read.
"You have to be the most enthusiastic graduates we've ever had," he said. "This is not just another program. This is the gold standard of programs and you have a tremendous opportunity in a tremendous organization."
The ceremony was a point of pride for Teresa K. English, Career Skills Program coordinator at the Sgt. Glenn H. English Jr. Army Education Center. She was there through the entire selection and training process for the installation's first VIP program.
"I'm super excited," English said. "We're making history by having our first class here. To see it from start to finish is very rewarding."
As each graduate made his way across the stage, the master of ceremonies announced the union chapter which had accepted him. It was, in a way, their final "PCS," English said.
"They're going to start the new chapters in their civilian lives," she said. "They're going all across the country. It's great to see them getting ready to leave and start that next adventure."
For Spc. DeAndre Harris, who served as a wheeled vehicle mechanic in the 129th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, the next adventure begins in his hometown of St. Louis, where he will begin an apprenticeship with UA Local 562.
"It means a lot," said Harris of the VIP program. "I'm able to go back home with my Family and have a job waiting for me. That's a blessing right there."
The promise of job security helped Harris overcome his trepidation with leaving the Army in the middle of an unstable economy. He said he encourages all of his fellow transitioning Soldiers to look into the program if they are uncertain about the future.
"Even if you think it might not be for you, this is a great program," he said.
Word of the program has spread quickly across the installation. According to English, more than 40 transitioning Soldiers applied for the second round of training, set to begin May 4. Of the pool of applicants, 20 were selected for the course.
"The info is spreading so that command is more knowledgeable about the program and the Soldiers know about it," she said. "Our goal is to hopefully keep expanding."
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