USMC Sergeant Meets Challenges
At Home and On the Battlefield
Sgt. Joseph Mallory, a musician in the USMC, completed two years of his apprenticeship to become
a journeyman pipe fitter. Then his plans changed. With the shock of 9/11 still reverberating across
the country, Sgt. Mallory's division was readying for an Iraq deployment but Sgt. Mallory’s active
duty time as a tuba player with the U.S. Marine Corps was up. "If you ever do get orders to
deploy," he told his OIC, "I'll be there. Just let me know." The orders for that division to deploy
came in 2005 and Sgt. Mallory volunteered to go along. "I didn't think I could live the rest of my
life knowing that I had a chance to participate and I didn't take it," says Mallory.
When he told his parents, they couldn't believe that he was going to volunteer a second time.
His parents cited his apprenticeship and new career, but that didn't stop Sgt. Mallory. He had been
involved in a peace time operation in Greece and he knew he had to go. "I basically wanted to see,
did I have what it took to go out there, train up, and do what the rest of the Marines do?"
Sgt. Joseph Mallory is sure that his military experience helped him beat out the competition
for his apprenticeship as a pipe fitter. "I took the application to the local office and I didn't
think they'd take me," he says. "I didn't have the trade experience to put on the paper." Out of
the thousand or so that applied, only 200 made it through the interviews and 50, including Sgt.
Mallory, started right away. A military background equates to a specific work ethic and leadership
qualities. "They looked at my military background and said, 'This guy is going to come to work
every day and we want him.'" says Sgt. Mallory. John Leen, the Apprenticeship Coordinator at Local
597 in Chicago agrees that those with a history of military service bring discipline and pride to
their work. He sees them as team-players and self-starters.
Sgt. Mallory worried what would happen when he told the apprenticeship program that he wanted
to deploy with his old division. He says, "I thought they would say 'Nice knowing you, get out of
here, we didn't want you anyway.'" Instead, they were completely supportive. Says Mr. Leen, "Our
first reaction was one of pride for Joseph wanting to serve his country. Our second was the concern
for his safety."
The apprenticeship program called his family and spoke with his parents to find out if there
was anything they needed while Sgt. Mallory was on active duty. "We have a special place in our
[brotherhood] to our apprentices serving overseas. We realize what a great strain it is for them
and their families." The union did fundraisers raising thousands of dollars for the Mallory family.
"I remember the first [fundraiser]," says Sgt. Mallory, "they just passed the bucket at a union
meeting and said, 'We have these guys who are serving in Iraq, they don't have a lot of money, and
if you have something to donate, donate it.'" The money has gone to assist his parents and Sgt.
Mallory's new wife and child. His father, a pipe fitter for 30 years was overwhelmed by the genuine
concern from the union.
Sgt. Mallory went to Iraq as a tuba playing corporal. "Tuba players, all [USMC] musicians, we
are Marines first and foremost. We're all riflemen. Once we know we're going to [war] we put our
horns down and start training." Stationed at Camp Blue Diamond, Sgt. Mallory was an interior guard,
and helped to control the main entry gates to the base at Ramadi. He patrolled the surrounding
towns on foot. If there were any attacks off-base, Sgt. Mallory went out. In 2007, he was deployed
to Felujia.
Sgt Mallory's apprenticeship training came in handy during his deployments. He was popular
when he serviced the AC while in Iraq. Stateside now, Sgt. Mallory will be released from active
duty in the fall. He is determined to complete his apprenticeship and to work in the HVAC industry.
"I wanted to deploy, just to know if I could," he says. "Now I want to finish the apprenticeship to
see, can I become a journeyman pipe fitter now? It's my next challenge."
Sgt. Mallory has his school books and calls to stay in touch with his local. He's tried to
get his instructors to give him homework but they declined telling him to focus on his active duty
time. They assured him that they would assist him with the program when his active duty time is
done. Mr. Leen explained that Sgt. Mallory can resume his apprenticeship as soon as he feels
comfortable. He says, "The union will offer "after hours" training for Sgt. Mallory and provide any
type of support he may need."
