Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16CAREERops 12 the transition from life in the National Guard to life as a pipefit- ter fih-year apprentice has opened the door to a new lifestyle she enthusiastically relishes. “I’ve been able to do things that I never thought I would be able to do,” she said. “I bought a house. I am 34 years old, and it is all mine. It’s the nicest house I’ve ever lived in. I love living down here. Milwaukee and Madison have everything. I’ve been able to travel. I went to Ireland last year, and I’m going to Greece in a couple of months. I never would be able to do that without this job. e only place I had ever been before was Iraq.” Sister Gunderson will be turning out as a jour- neyperson in less than a year. She is a member of Pipefitters Local 601, Milwaukee, WI. She was a member of the National Guard for six years and was deployed to Iraq for a year. “I joined the Na- tional Guard when I was 24. Aer high school, I did some factory work. I always wanted to go to college, but I couldn’t afford it. It was one of the factors in my decision to join the National Guard. I knew my college would be paid for. Once I joined, keeping up with college work was difficult. I was on and off with deployment and all, and then I just went back to work at low-paying, fac- tory-type jobs, and I did some temporary posi- tions through a temp agency.” Cassidy stated that during drill practice one day, a commanding officer talked about the Veterans in Piping® (VIP®) program. is is where she first heard about the program. “ey said they would teach us to weld, and then we would become a pipefitter/steamfitter,” she said. “Well, I didn’t even know what a pipefitter did. At the time, I was working the third shi at a job, and I thought, ‘I can’t keep doing this.’” Cassidy looked up the pro- gram on the Internet and decided to apply for the program, which was being taught at Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 400 in Appleton, WI. She visited the local union hall and took a tour of the training facility and was really impressed. “I took the leap,” Cassidy said, “and I applied for the program and got accepted.” Sister Gunderson credits her instructors for preparing her so well. “My favorite project so far has been the work we did building a hospital. I welded and fitted a lot, and the crew I worked with was just great. It was incredible to think that I was part of the team that was building a hospital. I’m currently working at a new pharmaceutical laboratory. I’m doing all of the copper work by myself. It’s nice. It’s a laid-back atmosphere. I work from six to four each day. You can make a lot of money at this job. I make twice as much as all of my family and all of my friends. Last year’s tax re- turn showed that it was the most money I’ve ever made. Last summer there was a lot of opportunity to work overtime. I worked at a powerhouse that offered a lot of overtime. at’s how I’ve saved so much to go on so many trips. I feel really good. My mom, who is like a best friend, is really proud of me. I’ve been able to do stuff that she was never able to do, being a young mother. I just made the very best choice.” Billy Platt, Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 630, West Palm Beach, FL, is a VIP welding instructor at the Camp Lejeune, NC, VIP program. e most-recent graduating class included two women, and it just so happened that one of those women, Rachel LeBlance, graduated in the top of the class! Brother Platt said, “When I first met Rachel I knew right away that she was going to be an asset to any local that she was going to go to. She jumped right in and started unloading trucks, and to be honest, she outshined everyone. She had some welding experience as a Marine aircra welder— with different techniques, but a welder nonetheless. She was a tig welder welding aircra frames and For Cassidy Gunderson, Women in the Military Embrace New Roles as Pipefitter Welders “My favorite project so far has been the work we did building a hospital. I welded and fitted a lot, and the crew I worked with was just great. It was incredible to think that I was part of the team that was building a hospital.” – Cassidy Gunderson