b'A Seasoned Journeyman Gives Back to the VIP Program Jason Smith works alongside Jose Bellejo as a Fort Carson VIP welding instructor. What the VIPs gain from Jason is 23 years of experience. In 1999, he joined Local 20, which was in Pueblo, CO, at the time. Local 20 merged with Local 58 in 2004, and Jason has been a Colorado Springs, CO, Local 58 member ever since. As an apprentice, he said, he pretty much did everything, but once a journeyman, he was dis-patched to weld. Before becoming a VIP welding instructor, Jason had been running work as a foreman for the last six years. He said, I tried to avoid that as long as possible. I just wanted to keep my hood down and weld. When asked what his favorite project had been thus far, he said, I enjoyed the Co-manche Powerhouse in Pueblo, CO. When they put Unit 3 in, there were a lot of big pipes and welding. There were so many people there from all over the nation. Ive worked a lot here at Fort Carson and the Air Force Academy. I started to teach welding to the apprentices. I did that for a couple of years before I started teaching the VIP program in 2018. My favorite part of teaching, he said, is when you see that the information finally clicks. You know they are struggling. You try to explain things differently, and thenit just clicks. They light up, and theres nothing better than that. Theyre proud to show me their work.Working with Joses military and welding experience and Jasons welding and trade experience, this pair makes the perfect instructional team to turn out the most talented welders.Career Opportunities in Piping for Transitioning Veterans|Fall/Winter 2022 11'