SAMUEL HAMMOND: MY JOURNEY Specialist with the 2nd Ranger Battalion stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington & SMART Heroes Graduate What made the SMART Heros program initially catch my eye was how generous it was compared with other programs. I didn’t know much about what sheet metal workers really did. I assumed they did things like metal house roofs and metal warehouses or barns. But what made such an attractive prospect was that the program was 100% union funded. I didn’t have to go through the hassle of using my G.I. Bill or out of pocket funds to attend the SMART Heroes program. That meant a lot to me.
In my opinion, the sheet metal trade is really the jack of all trades. I love a good challenge, real world math, and metal, as well as the logistics and challenges of this job on a physical level. I also didn’t realize the multitude of benefits this program offers, particularly for transitioning soldiers. I feel indebted to the union, owners, and the US Army for making it all possible. Mainly, I enjoyed the challenges of drafting and then making paper drawings come to life in the shop, all the while trying to do it faster and better than my coworkers. The program was much more complex than I expected. I intend to explore all the skills that will make me more of an asset to the companies I will work for, namely trucking and welding certificates. I want to be the guy they can call on to get the job done professionally. I think there’s a huge misunderstanding among many of my peers that manual labor and the trades are one and the same, when they are definitely not. Anyone can do landscaping, but few have the skills to craft, weld, and manipulate metal or control, monitor, and balance air flow. There’s a reason it takes five years to earn the title “journeyman.” You become
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a valuable asset. I tell my peers that, like the Army, the sheet metal industry is highly organized and has a rank structure. There is opportunity to be promoted and take on challenges. I think most importantly to me is I’m not bored. I worried that any job outside of being a Ranger would be boring. To me it’s the people that I work side by side with that make all the difference. The COVID-19 and winter combination still have me warming the bench right now. It was something our instructor, Tom Eastman, warned us about, so I had some time to prepare. I saved up as much terminal leave as possible to try and fill the time gap until I get the call. I also picked up some temporary employment repairing houses. I’m sitting well right now, but I am excited to get to work and start my apprenticeship! ▪
