Local 503 member Damien Craycraft is a proud Army veteran, having served from 2014 to 2016. Once he was discharged, Damien was seemingly back to where he started. He no longer had the structure the military provides, and he bounced around for three years from one dead end job to the next- at times struggling with depression.
A friend joined the Union and suggested Damien consider it as well. He found out about the good pay and benefits and Damien knew he may have found a career. When he learned how “passionate” the Union is about the men and women who served our country, he knew he had found his second calling. The similarities in structure between the Carpenters Union and the military appealed to Damien and he was certain that he would succeed.
“The Carpenters Union and the military go hand in hand, I always thought that there was nothing like the brotherhood in the military and I’m happily able to say that I’m wrong, that the Carpenters Union is very much like military comradery.”
It is no surprise that Damien is the Chair of Veterans in the Brotherhood – a committee focused on connecting Veterans in the Union – at Local 503. He has made it his mission to help fellow servicemen and women transition into the good career that the Union offers. He wants them to know that if they aren’t going to re-enlist, there is a career waiting for them. “Transitioning out of the military is hard. You go from a specific one percent way of living your lifestyle to being thrown out into the world…where you have to figure it out alone. Whereas this (the Union) we help you figure it out together.
Click here to view Damien’s Member Spotlight.