--- title: A Soldier’s Perseverance Pays Off description: “They mentioned guaranteed job,” Scott said, “and that immediately piqued my interest. We had just had a baby boy, and we used our savings to eliminate debt to make things easier for us during the transition. ” image: https://www.uavip.org/hubfs/393VIP17-%20204.jpg --- [![United Association Veterans In Piping Program logo](https://www.uavip.org/hubfs/uavip-seventeen/logos/uavip-logo.svg "United Association Veterans In Piping Program logo")](https://www.uavip.org/) UNITED ASSOCIATION VETERANS IN PIPING PROGRAM [![Union Plumbers, Fitters, Welders and Service Technicians logo](https://www.uavip.org/hs-fs/hubfs/uavip-seventeen/logos/ua-logo-round-w-text-wt.png?width=798&height=798&name=ua-logo-round-w-text-wt.png "Union Plumbers, Fitters, Welders and Service Technicians logo")](https://www.ua.org/) Union Plumbers, Fitters, Welders and Service Technicians [Ë](https://www.uavip.org/news-happenings/a-soldiers-perseverance-pays-off#mobile) ## NEWS AND HAPPENINGS WITH VIP Take a look at some of the newsworthy items for the VIP program. # A Soldier’s Perseverance Pays Off - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [ UA Veterans in Piping ](https://www.uavip.org/news-happenings/author/ua-veterans-in-piping-vip) ###### Jul 13, 2018 3:45:00 PM ![393VIP17- 204](https://www.uavip.org/hubfs/393VIP17-%20204.jpg) When Scott Williamson joined the Army, his initial career path was to stay in for life. He had left at one time, attended college, but then returned, because he missed it that much. He was working as a combat engineer, having served eight and-a-half years. Upon his return to Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM)—after his deployment to Afghanistan—Scott was notified that, due to Army downsizing, his unit was being disbanded. “When we got back from Afghanistan,” Brother Williamson said, “we heard they were downsizing, and unfortunately my retention NCO (non-commissioned officer) didn’t get word to me that I had 30 days to decide on my future. It came down to a couple of weeks, and there was not an option for me to stay in the Army.” Initially, Scott was planning on enrolling back into college. He knew he had an interest in welding and engineering. College was the plan, until he heard about the Veterans in Piping Welding program through the Career Skills Program at JBLM. “They mentioned guaranteed job,” Scott said, “and that immediately piqued my interest. We had just had a baby boy, and we used our savings to eliminate debt to make things easier for us during the transition. Money was tight. After I learned I was accepted into the program, we continued to put as much money away as we could, but it wasn’t enough, and it was tough in the beginning.” Scott continued, “I loved the program, but when I graduated, my wife and son went to live with my wife’s parents until I could get settled. We put everything in storage. I drove to Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 393 in San Jose in an old car to start my apprenticeship. I’m from Georgetown, CA, which is in the sticks. People go hiking and camping there, but it’s six hours away from San Jose, so living there was not an option. In Georgetown, you can rent a house for $600 a month. In San Jose, it’s $2,200 for 900 square feet. I knew I would be starting all over again, but with four months of savings and a newborn, I was in for a shock.” Scott said Carl Cimino, the Local 393 Training Director, opened his door to him when he heard he was struggling with finances, and that he would always be grateful for that. “I lived with Carl and his wife for a bit, until I could save enough money for my place,” he said. “When I had saved enough, Carl went out of his way and drove me around the city, showing me areas I should look at and which areas to avoid. My wife and son joined me, but we continued to save like crazy to be able to afford a house here. I tried to work a ton of overtime. I remember those first six or seven months being tough, but you do what you have to do to make it work.” ![393VIP17- 204](https://www.uavip.org/hs-fs/hubfs/393VIP17-%20204.jpg?width=300&name=393VIP17-%20204.jpg) This year, Scott will become a fifth-year apprentice, and he stated that he loves his job. “It’s gone by really fast,” he said. “Seven or eight months into the trade, I bought my house. We looked at houses an hour in each direction from San Jose and decided on a little town called Tracy. It’s a small, super community. I’m way more relaxed now. We have a house; our monthly payments went down. It took a lot of saving to get to where we are now. The house isn’t fancy, built in ’85. It’s in good shape, and I put on an addition. I worked as much overtime as I could to get where we are today.” Scott said that when he was in the service, he was never home. He stated that JBLM deploys a lot. “We were always training,” he said, “so it’s good to be home. I have two kids now. My son is five, and I have a daughter who is three. The benefits and healthcare that come with union membership are significant for them.” Scott has worked for Harris Mechanical for two years now. He has been working at the new Apple facility. “I’ve been doing a lot of copper, manifold, and solution. We are supplying the building with chilled water and heating. We’re almost finished, so we’re labeling pipes now.” Scott has enjoyed the school aspect of the apprenticeship as well. He said, “I’m interested in everything! I learned Trimble layout on the job. One of my classmates took the Trimble course, and my current teacher is a Trimble instructor. When we only had a few people in one of my apprenticeship classes, my instructor offered to teach me how to convert it into CAD (computer-aided design), because I had CAD experience, and that was a neat trick and got me excited about what to look for in the future. He couldn’t keep concentrating on me, because he had other students, but it was nice of him to take the time.” Scott said he will take advantage of all of the training offered at Local 393’s state-of-the-art training center, even after he turns out as a journeyman. “I’ve always been in school in one way or another,” he said. “I’m looking forward to my career,” Scott said. “I made the right decision. We have a savings account now, which I’ve never had, and a new car. Financially, this job has allowed me to breathe. I made the right decision for my family and me. We are taking the next steps appropriately. We are going to try to pay off our house as soon as possible and put money away for college for the kids. We will probably try to buy something a little bigger down the road. The last three years have been outstanding.” “A soldier’s mindset, coming out of the service, is completely different,” Scott said. “We are used to doing whatever it takes to get the task at hand done.” Scott would advise service members that, because of the things they all go through in the service—not just in deployment, but in general— this work is not hard for them. “We are very grateful,” he said. “I can pretty much tell you, the candidates are going to be very grateful for this opportunity. It’s a very good thing. We’ve all done a lot more for a lot less. This will sound greedy, but it’s how I feel. I can’t believe they pay us this much. My advice to everyone looking at the VIP program is that when they ask you where you would like to go after you graduate from the program to continue with your apprenticeship, don’t just put anything down. Do some research. Find the three top places where construction work is booming and put those places down. You have to go where the work is. San Jose is one of those places, and it’s made all the difference.” This United Association Veterans In Piping Success Story was originally printed in the CareerOps: Career Opportunities in Piping for Transitioning Veterans Fall/Winter 2017 edition.  [Success Stories](https://www.uavip.org/news-happenings/topic/success-stories)  |   [Joint Base Lewis-McChord](https://www.uavip.org/news-happenings/topic/joint-base-lewis-mcchord) ##### Comments ## faq FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS We’re sure you have lots of questions about the VIP Program. A lot of these questions can be answered in our FAQ area. Click the button below to learn more. [faq](https://www.uavip.org/faq) ## Video and Photo Gallery Take a [look](https://www.uavip.org/media-gallery) at everything the VIP program is doing for our returning veterans — through videos and photos. ![VIP Graduate David Adams](https://www.uavip.org/hubfs/images/VIP_Graduate_David_Adams_sm.jpg "VIP Graduate David Adams") ![VIP Graduate David Adams](https://www.uavip.org/hs-fs/hubfs/images/VIP_Graduate_David_Adams_sm-large.jpg?width=153&height=217&name=VIP_Graduate_David_Adams_sm-large.jpg "VIP Graduate David Adams") Pipefitters Local 455, St. Paul, MN, Apprentice David Adams (VIP graduate, Wisconsin Welding Class 2) is pictured on the job working for Pioneer Piping, Incorporated (PPI) at the Flint Hills Refinery in MN. ![Camp Pendleton](https://www.uavip.org/hubfs/images/Joe_Miller_Butte_MT_2.jpg "Camp Pendleton") ![Camp Pendleton](https://www.uavip.org/hs-fs/hubfs/images/Joe_Miller_Butte_MT_2-large.jpg?width=153&height=217&name=Joe_Miller_Butte_MT_2-large.jpg "Camp Pendleton") Camp Pendleton VIP Graduate turned out as Journeyman and makes a life in Butte, MT, with Local 41. ![Orry graduated](https://www.uavip.org/hubfs/images/Orry_Camp_Lejeune_02.jpg "Orry graduated") ![Orry graduated](https://www.uavip.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Photo_Gallery_/Orry_Camp_Lejeune_02_large.jpg?width=153&height=217&name=Orry_Camp_Lejeune_02_large.jpg "Orry graduated") Orry graduated on April 9, 2015 and affiliated with UA Local 455, St. Paul, MN. ![Jerry Heneha](https://www.uavip.org/hubfs/images/Jerry_FT_Sill_Class_01.jpg "Jerry Heneha") ![Jerry Heneha](https://www.uavip.org/hs-fs/hubfs/images/Jerry_FT_Sill_Class_01-large-1.jpg?width=217&height=153&name=Jerry_FT_Sill_Class_01-large-1.jpg "Jerry Heneha") Sgt. Jerry Heneha, A Battery, 1st Battalion, 31st Field Artillery, puts together a valve system in preparation for his final week of the United Association's Veterans in Piping program at the Industrial Training Complex Photo Credit: Ms. Marie Berberea (TRADOC) ![inaugural Sprinkler](https://www.uavip.org/hubfs/images/Fort_Sill_Class_01_800x600.jpg "inaugural Sprinkler") ![inaugural Sprinkler](https://www.uavip.org/hs-fs/hubfs/images/Fort_Sill_Class_01_800x600-large.jpg?width=217&height=169&name=Fort_Sill_Class_01_800x600-large.jpg "inaugural Sprinkler") Fort Sill's inaugural Sprinkler Fitter class began on 2 March 2015. ![SFC Michael Olsen](https://www.uavip.org/hubfs/images/VIP15FtHood-_104.jpg "SFC Michael Olsen") ![SFC Michael Olsen](https://www.uavip.org/hs-fs/hubfs/images/VIP15FtHood-_104-large.jpg?width=217&height=153&name=VIP15FtHood-_104-large.jpg "SFC Michael Olsen") SFC Michael Olsen and 1SG William Davidson presented their instructors Louis Purcella and Micah Tyler with a momentum from the class. ![SGT Howard Nash](https://www.uavip.org/hubfs/images/VIP15FtHood-_055.jpg "SGT Howard Nash") ![SGT Howard Nash](https://www.uavip.org/hs-fs/hubfs/images/VIP15FtHood-_055-large.jpg?width=217&height=153&name=VIP15FtHood-_055-large.jpg "SGT Howard Nash") SGT Howard Nash is headed to Harrisburg, PA, to affiliate with Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 520. ![Gail Pilecki](https://www.uavip.org/hubfs/images/VIP15FtHood-_038.jpg "Gail Pilecki") ![Gail Pilecki](https://www.uavip.org/hs-fs/hubfs/images/VIP15FtHood-_038-large.jpg?width=153&height=217&name=VIP15FtHood-_038-large.jpg "Gail Pilecki") Gail Pilecki was so proud of her son, SGT Jeremy Pilecki, on graduation day. SGT Pilecki will make his home in Houston, affiliating with Pipefitters Local 211. ![William Davidson](https://www.uavip.org/hubfs/images/VIP15FtHood-_017.jpg "William Davidson") ![William Davidson](https://www.uavip.org/hs-fs/hubfs/images/VIP15FtHood-_017-large.jpg?width=217&height=153&name=VIP15FtHood-_017-large.jpg "William Davidson") 1SG William Davidson gave the graduate testimonial. He will remain with his family in Waco, TX, affiliating with Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 529 in Waco, TX. ![Michael Olsen](https://www.uavip.org/hubfs/Photo_Gallery_/VIP15FtHood-_077_sm.jpg "Michael Olsen") ![Michael Olsen](https://www.uavip.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Photo_Gallery_/VIP15FtHood-_077_large.jpg?width=153&height=217&name=VIP15FtHood-_077_large.jpg "Michael Olsen") SFC Michael Olsen and his wife, Amanda, will remain in the area, affiliating with Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 529 in Waco, TX. ![SPC Chad Eberle](https://www.uavip.org/hubfs/Photo_Gallery_/VIP15FtHood-_032_sm.jpg "SPC Chad Eberle") ![SPC Chad Eberle](https://www.uavip.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Photo_Gallery_/VIP15FtHood-_032_large.jpg?width=153&height=217&name=VIP15FtHood-_032_large.jpg "SPC Chad Eberle") Alysa and SPC Chad Eberle will be heading to San Antonio, TX, with Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 142. ![SGT Lawrence Beller](https://www.uavip.org/hubfs/Photo_Gallery_/VIP15FtHood-_070_sm.jpg "SGT Lawrence Beller") ![SGT Lawrence Beller](https://www.uavip.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Photo_Gallery_/VIP15FtHood-_070_large.jpg?width=153&height=217&name=VIP15FtHood-_070_large.jpg "SGT Lawrence Beller") SGT Lawrence Beller, his wife, Brittney, and daughter, Nahla, will be making Houston, TX, their home, affiliating with Pipefitters Local 211. Mouse over thumbnails to view larger videos and photos or view entire [Gallery](https://www.uavip.org/media-gallery). ## News & Happenings ##### [More News & Happenings](https://www.uavip.org/news-happenings) ## faq FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS We’re sure you have lots of questions about the VIP Program. A lot of these questions can be answered in our FAQ area. Click the button below to learn more. [faq](https://www.uavip.org/faq) --- ## Video and Photo Gallery Take a [look](https://www-uavip-org.sandbox.hs-sites.com/media-gallery) at everything the VIP program is doing for our returning veterans — through videos and photos. [Gallery](https://www.uavip.org/media-gallery) --- ## News & Happenings [News](https://www.uavip.org/news-happenings)