Military Experience Makes a Difference
Success Story
After spending five years working in an office following four years of service as a civil
engineer with the United States Air Force, Philip Mondano decided he didn’t want to be an office
worker anymore. Phillip said as much to a member of the Operating Engineers Union as he was
applying for a position in the construction industry. He wanted a job outside that he could truly
feel devoted to, and missed the camaraderie of being in the military.
"Helmets to Hardhats was one of the programs that I was introduced to in my transition class
leaving the Air Force, but I first found out about it through a friend of mine in the Air Force who
said it was a good program," says Mondano.
Mondano applied online and was surprised to get a call back rather immediately. "At that time
I was still in Hawaii....I was trying to plan ahead," he explained. When he finally got back to New
York, his hometown, he was confronted with the challenge of job searching once again and, through
the Helmets to Hardhats program, was connected with the International Union of Operating Engineers.
The union was impressed by his military experience.
"I walked to the front of the line because of my military training," he explained. "My
reports weren't perfect, but they weren't fake, and after they saw how dedicated I was they called
the union president."
His military experience proved useful for him in still other ways: "Most people who go
through the apprenticeship program are in for four years, but my work in the military as a civil
engineer gave me an advantage," he said. "I only had to train for 2 months before I was placed in a
job."
From there Mondano worked long hours, using the dedication and drive that he had once applied
to his military career to prove that he was committed to success. "Unlike others around me, I have
a good set of priorities, and my boss was very impressed."
Mondano has now been promoted to Operating Engineer with Nicholson & Crews, a company
charged with doing some of the work associated with the World Trade Center Re-Build. "Right now
there is a lot of work to be done," he explained, "the project is a year or two behind schedule and
so we are really busy."
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is the construction manager on the project.
Part of the plan includes two enormous pools with 30-foot waterfalls on each side. The pools mark
the original footprints of the WTC Towers and will be set within an eight-acre landscaped plaza.
The names of the 2,980 victims of the 9-11 attacks and 1993 World Trade Center bombing will be
inscribed on parapets surrounding the pools.
Mondano recently became an official member of the union, and boasts of good benefits,
excellent pay, and a good support network around him. He was also surprised at how this group
reminds him of being in the military. "These guys are go-getters,” he explained. “They do whatever
they can to achieve success.
According to Mondano, a job like this requires an ability to work as a team and maintain a
strong determination. At times he admits that it has not been easy, but he is now grateful to have
a good job with a lot of good benefits. His advice to others is simple: "Make sure you never give
up."
For more information about the International Union of Operating Engineers and other Building
and Construction Trades, you can visit the Helmets to Hardhats website at
helmetstohardhats.org.
