Home Energy Auditor Training (HEAT) Commencement Speech

Posted on 19. Jun, 2009 by john in Veterans Green Jobs Academy

On June 2, 2009, the first team of veteran energy efficiency professionals graduated from the Veterans Green Jobs Academy™ Home Energy Auditor Training (HEAT) Program at a celebration held at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado.  Honorable Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Brett KenCairn (VGJ CEO) and Garett Reppenhagen (VGJ Regional Program Director) congratulated the Veterans Green Jobs Academy participants on their dedication to moving our country toward energy independence through the pursuit of ‘green’ careers that will benefit all Americans.

June 2, 2009:  A Call to Arms: Veterans Become Green Job Heroes

Garett Reppenhagen, OIF Veteran 1st Infantry Division
Regional Program Director, Veterans Green Jobs

In Arthurian Legend the Knights of the Round Table gathered in Camelot in a call to arms for a higher purpose. The knights were driven by honorable principles, and their sense of equality and common cause united them.  Although they swore allegiance to King Arthur and Camelot, they served people in need and they served each other. Through trials and perseverance, the knights overcame personal struggles and elevated their kingdom into a utopian realm that was prosperous. Camelot also became a symbol of their aspirations.

King Arthur claims that, “Deeds themselves are useless unless they are for some higher purpose.” The veteran participants in the phase one training have not only answered the call to service, but have taken on a higher purpose: the ambition to help restore our environment, economy and communities.

Their aim is to build a society that has affordable renewable energy, sustainable habits, respect for our environment and wild-lands, and support for those suffering from disasters due to the consequences of global climate change.

These heroes have stepped forward to claim their contemporary quest, and have already achieved so much. The Home Energy Efficiency Audit Training (HEAT) that these veterans have completed is a pioneer course that will be the Veterans Green Jobs flagship training program to be expanded into a national program.

The veterans have gone from strangers to brothers in a short seven week period, working and studying together to hone their knowledge and skills. Brothers don’t always get along and sometimes become competitive, but they also look after each other and are friends when friends are in need. The course has tested their faith, their patience and their will, but by the end of the course, steel has emerged from the fire, and squires have ascended to knights.

It it would appear that we are entering a time in history when we need champions to step up. The damage we have already inflected upon our habitat is severe and many of the worlds most educated feel we are approaching the point of no return. However, dark times produce exceptional individuals. King Arthur has also said, “There is no worse death than the end of hope.”

Garett Reppenhagen, Veteran Crew Leader near Bluff, UT - April 2009

I look upon the fifteen vets that have joined Veterans Green Jobs first program and I have hope for our future.  Their character and unique strengths, combined with their military experience and their sense of service, make them the most qualified leaders to carry our citizens through this dangerous era.

They assemble into a team dedicated to their mission. However, many leave here as knights-errant on solo quests, which they must accomplish through their own initiatives. Some will remain in groups to take on tasks by working together and empowering more veterans to join the cause.

No matter where their adventures take them, I will have utmost confidence in their capabilities, I will cherish the times we have spent over these last months and I will be honored  to be gifted with their continued friendship.

Fellow knights good luck in your efforts and we will meet once again in at our Round Table and build a new Camelot.