On April 16, 2015, 16 transitioning soldiers, who entered the VIP Welding Program at Fort Hood just 18 weeks prior, graduated from the esteemed program. VIP Welding Instructor Micah Tyler said, “The class did very well. I feel they are all qualified, and I would put my stamp on any one of them.” As their welding instructors, Micah Tyler and Louis Purcella are feeling proud of the program’s third graduating VIP welding class. “We had to build our reputation,” Brother Tyler said. “We had to prove that our program was legitimate in what it was trying to accomplish.”
Eric Packard, Fund Administrator for the United Association, stated that he was honored to celebrate the graduates’ accomplishments during the momentous occasion of their graduation. He said, “By growing through skilled training, you are paying forward for a better world tomorrow.” He added, “Your future work in the trade will continue to impact us all through your contributions to rebuild the infrastructure across the nation.”
During the ceremony, Special Guest Speaker Major General Anders Aadland, U.S. Army, retired, stated, “I love the motto taking care of our own, because isn’t that apropos for the ceremony, and what we’re doing here today… Your hard work is paying off as you have reached the pinnacle of your new career as a United Association welder.”
The program boasted 100 percent placement to areas where the graduates wanted to go. When the graduates were asked how they rated the program from one to 10, with 10 representing excellent—the response was an overwhelming 10. Colonel Rolf Watts, Assistant Chief of Staff, G7 III Corps and Fort Hood, TX, gave the graduates some appropriate advice, stating, “Keep your ideals high, always look for opportunities to keep going. Prove yourself to be true, because your body of work is not done.”
“Specialist (SPC) Brandon Phelps had seven years of MIG experience when he came into the program, which is not a process that we use very often,” Instructor Tyler said, but he picked up STICK really fast. He’s going to Lexington, KY. Specialist Jacob Powers had a little experience in high school. He picked it up really quickly too and just excelled. He’s headed to Denver and is excited about the prospects of a strong job market there.”
First Sergeant (1SG) William Davidson, the oldest in the group of graduates, is keeping his family in Texas and will affiliate with Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 529 in Waco, along with Sergeant First Class (SFC) Michael Olsen. 1SG Davidson, who gave the graduate testimony, is just shy of 50 years old and is a career military soldier. He had high regard for the two VIP instructors, Micah Tyler and Louis Purcella. “They just had a world of life experience under their belts, especially Louis,” he said, adding, “They just gave the program 100 percent, every day.” In his graduate testimony, 1SG Davidson joked about the class’s original misadventures as they learned to weld. He quickly gained composure and stood proud looking out at his fellow graduates, and said, “I’m very impressed with what the United Association is doing across the country. Fort Hood is the largest installation in the United States, and I would love to see more slots here for our brothers in arms.”
1SG Davidson was not ready to retire, even though he was retiring from the Army. He was described as having a strong work ethic and is looking forward to the brotherhood the UA offers and a start of a new career. Both he and SFC Olsen opted to stay in Waco so that their children could remain in school there.
Four graduates will be affiliating with Pipefitters Local 211 in Houston, TX, and one of them will be Specialist Kellie Abbey. Originally from Indiana, Kellie chose her husband’s hometown of Houston when she was asked where she wanted to go. Houston has had a booming economy, and welder/pipefitters are in high demand. She made a very good choice.
“It seems like a great place to raise a family,” she said. Kellie is determined to be the breadwinner for her family as her husband, also a transitioning soldier, returns to school. Kellie heard about the program at one of the Career Day symposiums that was held on base. She ran into Micah Tyler and a VIP graduate and ended up talking to them for over an hour. She said after that, she was hooked. “Welding has been fun,” Kellie beamed, “It’s immediate gratification or disappointment depending upon the day.” At just 24 years old, Kellie views the UA’s apprenticeship program as a means to her future success. “I had a few choices,” she said. “I could have stayed in the Army, under that safety net, or I could have gone back to school while working a meaningless job. In an apprenticeship program, you are working toward something. It’s not like you are going to be working in a low-income job for the rest of your life. There are so many possibilities. You can see the end. You can see the potential you could have, instead of—this is where you are, and this is where you are going to be.”
Kellie has high aspirations and would like to continue her education through the UA. She just received her Associate’s Degree. She said. “I would love to receive a Bachelor’s Degree down the road in maybe Construction Management, or maybe go on to try to become a Welding Inspector. Hopefully in a few years, I could help recruit other women into the program.”
Instructor Tyler said Kellie Abbey and William Davidson are two great examples of the new diversification that is being seen in the program. Kellie is pioneering as a female graduate and William as a higher rank MCO (major combat operations) officer, reflecting that you can enter the program and accomplish the same as classmates 20 years younger.
The program at Fort Hood will be moving to a facility on base. Until now, the program had been housed in a courtyard at Texas A & M University Central Texas campus off base that had been made available for programs assisting transitioning soldiers. Two of the United Association’s state-of-the-art 53-foot welding trailers were used to teach the class. Instructor Tyler felt the setup created an environment that was similar to what the graduates will see in the field, such as the use of pipe stands and running extension cords for power tools. “This class received a lot of power tool and fitting experience from cutting pipe all the way to the finished product,” he said. The next VIP Welding class will experience a boost—when three 40-foot welding trailers roll on base to supplement the program’s new on-base facility, which will be located near the educational services building.
“I love what I’m doing,” Instructor Tyler said. “I get a lot of satisfaction.” As 1SG William Davidson concluded his graduate testimonial, he said, “For all those who are involved in this program, we can’t thank you enough.” And for the United Association—we can’t thank the graduates enough—as we train the workforce of the future.
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