Happy Veteran’s Day, Levi Waller!

This Veteran’s Day, we’d like to give a special shout out to Smoky Lake Craftsman, Veteran Levi Waller. Levi is a specialized MIG Welder who is currently instrumental in the creation of Smoky Lake Evaporator Arches. We were happy for the opportunity to interview Levi for this article and share some of his past experiences, serving our country.

What was your branch/role in the military?

I joined the United States Marine Corps in 2012, and I found out during the last days of bootcamp that I’d be an armorer, so I fixed various weapons systems both in Garrison, and in field expedient armories. 

In what location(s) did you serve? In the United States or abroad?

I went to bootcamp, and subsequent training in San Diego. Then I was stationed in Virginia where I went to school for my job, and was promoted to the rank of E2. From there I was stationed aboard Camp Pendleton for a year where I picked up E3, until I was given orders to MCBH Kaneohe bay, Hawaii, where I picked up E4. During my time aboard MCBH, my unit went on rotation to Japan, and Korea, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed.

What did you find most rewarding / interesting about your time in service?

Some of the most rewarding moments of my tenure as a Marine came from training as a team, and completing missions successfully. I found Marines as a species to be extremely interesting creatures. Ha ha.

Were there any lessons/principles learned in the military that have helped you today, working to build equipment for the maple industry?

One big lesson the military teaches is extreme ownership. Keeping honesty in mind, and owning up to one’s mistakes is crucial to success and well being of a team. Jocko Willink has a great Ted talk about this. 

Was last year your first year helping to make maple syrup with Jimmy? If so, what were your first impressions of the process? Is there anything about the last maple season that sticks out to you? Any fun memories?

Yes! I was stoked when Jimmy asked if I wanted to come check out the sugar shack, I took a few videos of the process, and a lot of photos, I took it all in. I’ve always loved crafting my own anything, so this was very fun to see and be a part of. I can still smell that sweet aroma in the air, I tasted that fresh, warm syrup straight from the evaporator, I’ll cut and haul wood all day!

Is there anything in particular that you are looking forward to about the upcoming maple season?

I’m looking forward to continuing to hone my skills in a new year, and fresh maple syrup!

On behalf of all of us at Smoky Lake, we would like to thank Levi – and all veterans – for their service and commitment to our country. Happy Veterans’ Day! Thank you!