ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. — It didn’t take Jennifer Zaldivar very long to make her mark at Redstone Arsenal. She has only been with Logistics Readiness Center Redstone, located in Huntsville, Ala., as a transportation specialist since the end of January and already has been named Army Materiel Command Employee of the Quarter for the third quarter of fiscal year 2023.
LRC Redstone is one of more than 70 LRCs under U.S. Army Sustainment Command, a major subordinate command of U.S. Army Materiel Command. AMC’s mission is to ensure the Army and Joint Forces have the necessary equipment -- including guns, artillery, ammunition -- to fight and win on the battlefield.
As a transportation specialist in the LRC Redstone Transportation Division for Personal Property, Zaldivar processes official, military dependent, and diplomatic passports. She also reviews preapprovals for household goods moves and passenger travel. ASC is the executing arm of AMC, bringing together all of AMC's capabilities to make sure Soldiers have what they need, when they need it, and where they need it, including at home station.
“Our transportation office supports all AMC customers on Redstone Arsenal by providing personal property, passenger travel, and passport and visa support, including transportation motor pool and freight services,” Zaldivar said.
“My work is important, because by processing accurate and timely passport applications, I am able to support our military with important overseas matters,” Zaldivar said. “I also determine whether extra costs are permitted during household good moves which saves the government money. And by being a contracting officer’s representative, I ensure that the government is being taken care of as well as the contractor.”
Zaldivar said she has always been an ardent supporter of America’s military, and her family has strong military connections. Her grandfather was in the Marine Corps for 28 years, and she was born and raised at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
“All four of his sons, including my dad, joined the Navy,” she said, “and my dad served 30 years, retiring as a command master chief petty officer.” Her husband, Salvadore, was a Marine when she met him but has since left the military.
Getting to where she is took her on a somewhat bumpy road. She and her husband had moved to Alabama from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where both had served as Department of Defense Civilians working for the Navy, in late 2019 when she was hired by CWT SATO Travel in Huntsville, Alabama, home of Redstone Arsenal. She was laid off during the COVID pandemic, but because of her experience in working with government travel situations, she was hired as a quality control inspector for household goods for another company. And after two years, she landed at LRC Redstone.
Zaldivar said she feels very honored to be named Employee of the Quarter after such a short time, and attributes it to her strong work ethic. “I am ecstatic and feel very proud to be honored with this award,” she said. “I take pride in my work,” she added, “and it shows.”
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