With Gov. Jon Hunstman Jr.'s swoop of a pen and a ceremonial celebration, Utah on Monday became the 27th state to participate in the Helmets to Hardhats program, which pairs returning veterans with construction industry jobs.

Multiple construction company representatives, labor officials and city leaders turned out to mark Utah's transition into the program during Monday's event, which included remarks by the executive director of the nonprofit association.

Darrell Roberts said Helmets to Hardhats successfully placed 1,549 veterans into jobs in 2007 and another 1,174 last year, including 79 disabled veterans.

Roberts, a Navy veteran who also did a stint with the National Guard, said he watched firsthand how members of the military struggled with stress on the battlefield amplified by knowing no job was waiting for them when they got home.

One in particular, a machine gunner, was distracted in the field and in a foul mood. Roberts said when he asked him the reason, the other man relayed he had just found out his supposedly guaranteed job back in the states had been outsourced.

"By federal law your job is supposed to be guaranteed, but there are loopholes that companies find."

Program supporters joined Roberts in saying it makes sense to tap the work ethic and skills honed in the military to fill private sector jobs in the construction industry.

Multiple trade unions have climbed on board in the 5-year-old program which offers tuition-free apprenticeships in 15 trades with more than 80 crafts taught — from finishing work to elevator construction.

Terry Schow, executive director of the Utah Department of Veterans Affairs, says such second chances are critical given that veterans ages 18-24 experience higher than national unemployment rates.

While in the program's onset it was difficult to track actual employment landed through participation in Helmets to Hardhats, Roberts said documentation efforts have improved and each year, the program continues to grow.

"If you give one disabled American veteran a career, I say that it is a success."

For more information, go to www.helmetstohardhats.org.

E-mail: amyjoi@desnews.com