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News | April 14, 2022

Employee Reflection: Ritsuko Sato

Property Disposal Specialist, Misawa Air Base, Japan

A woman poses.
Property Disposal Specialist Ritsuko Sato.
A woman poses.
220402-D-D0441-600
Property Disposal Specialist Ritsuko Sato.
Photo By: DLA photo
VIRIN: 220402-D-D0441-600
What is your job?

Property disposal specialist, Japan Scrap Contract Officer Representative, and sales lead.

How long have you worked for the federal government, including military service?

35 years.

How long have you worked for DLA Disposition Services?

30 years.

Any fond DLA memories?

There were seven people in our site, and we used to have barbecue parties Friday afternoon sometimes. The chief always gave us a lot of food and drinks – it made us joyful and happy.

Any good advice worth sharing?

TEAMWORK is most important.

What prior training has helped you in your current role?

DEMIL training, accounting, etc., and basic technical training helps our operation.

What should people know about your site?

Small site employees are busy, and they must be smart to keep everything running smoothly. If a person can’t adapt (this is my job, this is NOT my job), then operations stop running smoothly. We need to develop lots of different skills and be ready to support each other.

Any interests outside work?

I am a Zumba instructor and teach military, civilian and the elderly at the base gym, senior center, etc. I want to bring health and happiness to others through Zumba.

Any heroes?

Mr. Odes Parison, former Misawa site manager (who passed away). He was NO. 1 HARD WORKER and a respected leader. We handled our site with only three people, including Mr. Parison, at the time. We were super busy. Mr. OP worked hard also and took care of EVERY section job and supported employees. He was super busy but kept calm and took care of every job and came to the office early each morning and worked overtime to keep our site operating. He demonstrated respect and leadership by his actions and not just his words. We were so lucky to have such a hard worker and respected chief, Mr. OP.