Transitioning Out & Still Making a Living by Nick Morgan

Nick Morgan, HEAT Program Participant

My involvement in Veterans Green Jobs is two-fold: it is a continuation of my unwavering dedication to fellow veterans and highlights my urgent mission of sustainability. I have a brief story to give an example of how needed this training program is for folks wanting lucrative non-military careers.

I have a friend who serves on active duty and has completed 4 tours to various combat zones. A few months ago, he expressed to me that he wanted nothing more than to get out of the Army. On his last tour, he was a victim of an IED attack and suffers a minor disability as a result.

When I asked him if he was going to get a medical discharge, he said he wasn’t going to consider it because he has a child on the way and he wanted the financial stability. He had tried college before joining the regular army and decided that it was not him. Understandably, there seems to be little opportunity in the civilian world for those who have a combat MOS. Fortunately for my friend and other vets with similar situations, Veterans Green Jobs programs like HEAT (Home Energy Auditor Training) and the Veterans Green Corp are available to offer a new set of tools for veterans to quickly assimilate into society within a lucrative field. Involving yourself with fellow veterans who share similarly intense experiences really assists in making this transition smooth.

One thing I have stepped back to consider is where most of our energy comes from and why this is detrimental to our overall sustainability. Not to beat a dead horse, but our over consumption of fossil fuels (non-renewable resources) cannot continue if we intend to preserve our lifestyle for future generations. Stripping away our landscapes to extract coal, going to war for oil, and creating radioactive waste are all highly destructive tasks in which the cost is placed on the backs of average citizens like you and I.

By taking on projects that involve energy reduction and weatherization, we are taking the first step in weaning America off its detrimental energy dependencies. Being cognizant of our everyday actions and the rippling repercussions of said actions, we can take great leaps in gaining our independence, financially and otherwise for future generations. The next step (or rather, a concurrent step) I would submit, is to continue creating technologies that are sustainable, environmentally and economically. I think we can all agree that taking care of this beautiful world of ours is paramount for the perpetuation of our way of life.

Home Energy Auditor Trainees (HEAT), CO June 2009