North American Technician Excellence (NATE) continues to show its support for the U.S. military, by extending certification for HVAC technicians called to active duty.

From the day a NATE-certified military service member deploys, their NATE certification is deferred until they return, ensuring that the technician comes back to work with the same qualifications as when he or she left. Upon their return, the technician receives all new NATE certification documents and the expiration date of their certification is extended to reflect their time in service.

Active duty technicians contact NATE after returning from service, to process the certification extension and have their new documents shipped.

Mark Butler, a NATE-certified technician and reservist who served in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2008 to 2010, recently contacted NATE regarding the status of his certification.

"It means a lot that NATE is willing to re-up our certification to make up for the time we're overseas," Butler says.

"Once I found that out, it was one less concern for me as I made the transition from active duty in the Middle East back to my work as an HVAC technician in Massachusetts."

For additional information, contact Pat Murphy, at pmurphy@natex.org.