CAMP PENDLETON, Calf. –
Keeping employees safe, supporting warfighters, helping the nation fight COVID-19 – that’s what Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services Camp Pendleton Area Manager Luis Guzman did with his 2020
Guzman, a Marine Corps veteran, started with DLA Disposition Services in 2010 and became area manager in 2019. He said the pandemic may have changed how site property disposal teams do their jobs, but it has not stopped them from their mission.
“Throughout this entire time, we have been providing support,” Guzman said, explaining how employees continue receiving and issuing property to customers.
Medical supplies have become a focus for all DLA Disposition Services sites. Guzman said his area has issued everything from bed linens and gowns to more advanced equipment used by medical units. He recalled how early in the pandemic the call went out for DLA’s property disposal sites to look for items that could be used to help.
One of his employees quickly discovered a full pallet of N95 masks that had been turned in before the pandemic. The masks were eventually issued to a regional naval hospital.
After almost a year, he said he still reminds his team to keep an eye out for medical or lifesaving equipment.
“At the very beginning, we knew it was unfortunate that a lot of the places didn’t have the equipment that they needed,” Guzman said, adding that he and his team are proud of what support they’ve been able to provide.
“[Assisting] is very heartwarming,” Guzman said. “A lot of us, including myself, have lost close friends and family through this pandemic.”