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Left to right: Helmets to Hardhats Executive Director Martin Helms, Massachusetts Building Trades Unions President Frank Callahan, Veteran and IUEC Local 4 member Matthew Watson, Veteran and First-Year Apprentice at IBEW Local 103 Paul Redmond, Veteran and Laborers’ Local 609 member Darien Williams, Secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans Services (EOVS) Dr. Eric Goralnick, and SMART-NERC President Russell Bartash. Cassidy McNeeley photo
Union leaders and contractors from across Massachusetts gathered inside the Sheet Metal Workers Local 17 Training Center in Dorchester’s Lower Mills on Tuesday to celebrate more than $50,000 donated to Helmets to Hardhats, a nonprofit that connects transitioning active-duty military service members, veterans, National Guard and Reservists with skilled training and quality career opportunities in the construction industry.
“We firmly believe that if you were willing to raise your right hand, swear an oath, and put your life on the line, put your life on hold to serve our country and protect all of us, and guarantee all of our freedom, you certainly deserve to skip the line and have a chance to get into one of our apprenticeship programs and enjoy all of the things that you preserved for us,” said Frank Callahan, President of the Massachusetts Building Trades Unions.
The organization says it has placed nearly 50,000 former military personnel into union careers across the US since 2003, including 1,269 people in trade unions here in Massachusetts.
“The last year alone, 44 veterans from the Commonwealth found careers in the union construction industry through this program,” said Martin Helms, executive director of Helmets to Hardhats. “These numbers represent far more than placements; they represent veterans finding a new mission, families gaining stability, and communities benefiting from leadership, discipline, and work ethic that military service helps develop.”
US Army Veteran Darien Williams, now a member of Laborers’ Local 609 member, spoke at the Sheet Metal Workers Union training center in Lower Mills on Tuesday. Cassidy McNeeley photo
“Nationally, this year alone, Helmets to Hardhats has 20,000 veterans seeking help through our program. Among them were 345 veterans in Massachusetts. The need remains strong, and so does the opportunity to make a difference.”
Three veterans who have participated in the program — Matthew Watson, Paul Redmond, and Darien Williams — were on hand to share their stories.
Watson, who served six years in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, is now a nine-year member of the Elevator Constructors Local 4.
“I was actually serving over in Afghanistan when I heard about the Elevator Constructors,” said Watson. “My platoon sergeant happened to be a Local 103 electrician and told me all about the unions. Then he told me to go through H2H When I got back home, I applied through H2H. Looking back, I don’t think I fully appreciated at the time just how much that opportunity would mean to me.”
Upon his return home, Watson missed the “camaraderie, brotherhood, and feeling of being a part of something bigger than yourself” that serving provided him.
“For me, I found a lot of that again in the union.”
Redmond, who served five years in the US Marine Corps Reserves and is now a first-year apprentice at IBEW Local 103, has a similar appreciation for the program.
“Through my involvement in Helmets to Hardhats, I have learned technical skills already in my first year of apprenticeship that I know very confidently will propel me in this astounding career field,” said the Abington resident. “My teammates at H2H and at the IBEW are now preparing me for much success. I can already feel improvement in the quality of my own life, morale, and self-esteem.”
Williams, a nine-year veteran of the US Army, is now a 23-year member of Laborers Local 609. Williams, an Attleboro resident, said, “This program is great, and this is just Massachusetts in here. Imagine how many people they are helping nationwide.”
“Veterans bring discipline, teamwork, and pride in the job. Those are values that define the building trades. That is why we will always have a place for you here,” said Russell Bartash, Sheet Metal Workers Local 17, Northeast Regional Council President. “You served this country; now come build it with us.”
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