A Veteran's Manufacturing Story
Over the next five years, one million service men and women will transition out of the military and into civilian life. So this Veterans Day, we should not only thank veterans for their service and dedication; we should also show our appreciation by making their transition as smooth and seamless as possible.
Seventy-one years ago, Richard McCarthy was in the middle of such a transition. After serving in the Pacific during World War II, the 21-year-old veteran headed back home to Pennsylvania, eager to start the next phase of his life. He not only did that; he started a career, a business, and a legacy for his family.
In 1941, Richard was a high school senior with a budding interest in machining. In fact, he recently started serving as a machinist’s apprentice in a railroad company. However, on December 7 of that year, Pearl Harbor was attacked, and the United States was drawn into World War II.
Ten months later, just weeks after graduating and celebrating his eighteenth birthday, Richard was drafted into the military.
“I got my choice of whether I wanted to go into the army, the navy or the marines,” he said. “I picked the Navy, but I can’t tell you why.”
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Upon returning home, Richard went back to work as an apprentice for the railroad. However, competition for jobs was fierce, and his apprenticeship lasted just a few months.
“Everyone was coming back from the war, they couldn’t employ them all,” he said. Fortunately, Richard was able to find a new apprenticeship in welding thanks to the G.I. Bill.
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