Operations Center employee selected as SDDC outstanding Hispanic civilian

Translog: Journal of Military Transportation Management, Spring, 2004 by Patti Bielling

A lead traffic management specialist at the Operations Center on Fort Eustis is the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command's nominee for the 2004 Outstanding Army Hispanic Civilian Award.

Harriet Martinez works in the Movement Control Center and has been with SDDC for 24 years.

"I enjoy working for SDDC," Martinez said. "I like the challenge and the opportunities that have been available to me here."

Her supervisor, Brad Bernard, said Martinez is a well rounded employee who puts the job and her coworkers first.

"She has a sense of urgency and has a willingness to follow things through to the conclusion" he said. Martinez admits to a few challenges early in her career.

"When I first came into government, it was more of a man's world, and it was a challenge just trying to move up the ladder to different positions," she said. "There were barriers, but if you found a way to work around them and to use your abilities to the fullest, you could be recognized for your accomplishments."

As a member of the SDDC Special Emphasis Program Committee, Martinez assists with making the work force aware of the contributions that minorities and women have made to society.

She is also a long-time member of the National Defense Transportation Association. She has an associate's degree in applied date processing and has attended St. Peter's University, St. John's University, Chubb's Institute and the U.S. Army Management Engineering College.

She has won numerous performance awards.

Outside the workplace, Martinez is a role model for Hispanics and women, Bernard said. She encourages women to take college and correspondence courses and to take advantage of on-the-job training opportunities.

"When they ask me for advice, I try to help out in any area I can," Martinez said. "And if I am not able to help, I am still able to be there just to listen."

A friendly demeanor and mentoring attitude helped her when she counseled battered women or assisted young single mothers through her church.

She has helped young women focus on practical ways to become independent, such as encouraging them to open their own savings accounts, helping to locate training and educational opportunities, and assisting with finding work that they can do at home while raising children.

Martinez and her husband of 34 years, Ramon Martinez, have a son, Ramon Martinez Jr., who is a marine cargo specialist with the 954th Transportation Battalion in Cape Canaveral, Fla.