Lakeview Veteran Found New Life as Carpenter

Although he was born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, Luis Lopez has always felt a duty to serve the country he now calls home – the United States.

“I joined the Army in 1996, right out of high school,” said Luis. “While I was in the Army, I got into carpentry, because it was a good trade that I knew would be useful when I left the Army.”

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Luis was called to Iraq for twelve months, working as a land surveyor and putting his carpentry skills to work.

“Building these little, but necessary, structures in the Army gave me this sense of accomplishment that I didn’t think it would. You know, to be able to step back and say ‘I did that. I built that.’ It’s a great feeling.”

Unfortunately for Luis, his Army experience was not all positive – he suffered an injury that he’s still suffering from today.

“I was in the process of preparing a site for construction when a mortar shell fell, at the most, 15 or 20 feet away from me. I’ve had significant hearing loss since then, which can be dangerous when you’re working on a construction site.”

Luis is now a member of the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters (CRCC), and he notes the similarities between the two organizations.

“The programs are actually really similar: you start at zero and they train you from scratch. They both put an enormous emphasis on safety, an almost equal amount. You’d assume that the Army would be much safer, but at the end of the day the goal in both organizations is to do the job and come home to your family and friends.” I’d thought I’d already learned everything in the Army but I realized that there’s always more to learn.”

“Learning the carpentry trade in the Army has given me the ability to really grow in my field. Before, I was building these small structures and was feeling really accomplished. Now I’m building skyscrapers and I’m just blown away.”