‘They’re All Jealous, And
Want To Work Where I Work’

September 2004 IBEW Journal

The word from Tasha Swarts in Iraq is, "I wouldn’t be surprised if in the next year or so, there will be an increase in applications to union contractors and apprenticeship programs! You have all given ‘Union’ an outstanding reputation." Everyone here wants to work where I work, or says ‘I want your friends.’ "

So, she says, "Being a proud American woman is one thing. Being a proud Local 212 member IS BEST." Local 212 of Cincinnati, Ohio, is one of many IBEW locals helping their members who are on military duty. Tasha is a single mother who was a member of the Ohio National Guard, says Cincinnati JATC Director Dan Danzinger, and "when she got her orders to Iraq, she had already worked enough hours to top out. Her fifth year apprentice instructor worked with her individually to complete the curriculum and Tasha was able to reach journeyman status before leaving in January 2004."

"We sent Tasha three LARGE packages stuffed with every supply you could think of."

"Our living conditions started out fairly nice and are slowly becoming worse," she says. "When my packages arrive, they swear you’re sending me midget carnie men."

‘Can’t Wait to See
All My Bro’s and Sis’s’

"I am currently in Kuwait, awaiting departure to Iraq," Tom Trew said in the e-mail he wrote "to say thank you for all your generosity, kindness and brotherly spirit shown to my family and me."

Tom describes himself as "a proud member of Local 270 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee." The local plans to do the same for Chris Crawford, who is also in Iraq, and Matthew Schultz, who is on standby to ship out.

Tom Trew sums up widespread sentiments when he signs off: "I can’t wait to get back home to see all bro’s and sis’s."

IBEW Skills Found
To Be ‘Exceptional Asset’ in War

He came to the war with his IBEW skills and those, together with his dedication and perseverance, won Chuck Duffy an Army Commendation medal. "Sgt. Charles Duff has proven to be an exceptional asset to the 279th Detachment (utilities) with technical skills well in advance of soldiers at his level," reads his nomination for a Bronze Star.

Brother Duff, whose service in Afghanistan was previously noted in the IBEW Journal (see "IBEW in Afghanistan," p.7, January-February 2004), is a member of Local 380, Norristown, Pennsylvania. The citation notes three spectacular achievements by Brother Duff, starting with restoring power to a base in Salerno, Afghanistan, in September 2003, after which he was much in demand.

He installed the first electrical to service at an Air Force Base, then was sent to an air traffic facility in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. "And this mission," the commendation says, "is once again far above the level normally undertaken by a utility detachment." He worked 12- and 14-hour days to get the jobs done and left behind a permanent contribution by training two or other three soldiers at each stop, according to his superior officers.

It’s a Proud Flag Flying At Local 702

Local 702 member Charles "Wes" Briddick on duty with the 221st Ordnance Company.

No American flag was ever flown with more pride than the one at Local 702, West Frankfort, Illinois, because member Charles "Wes" Briddick sent it home after it flew a symbolic 9-11—nine hours and eleven minutes—over Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan. He sent it to his dad, David Briddick, a journey wireman in Local 701, and his brother, Jeff, an apprentice, to use to say thanks to Local 702 for the fund-raising to send packages to their members serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and their immediate families.