Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Sailor from Peru serves with U.S. Naval Medical Readiness Logistics Command

By Rick Burke, Navy Office of Community Outreach

MILLINGTON, Tenn. - Seaman Recruit Andrea Ordinola Valdez, a sailor from Tacna, Peru, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Naval Medical Readiness Logistics Command (NMRLC) in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Ordinola Valdez, a graduate of Francisco A. de Zela in Tacna, Peru, joined the Navy four months ago. Before joining the Navy, Ordinola Valdez taught economics and logistics in Tacna as a professor at Jorge Basadre Grohmann University and the Private University of Tacna.

"The Navy is the most powerful and greatest institution worldwide, so I was excited when my recruiter told me I had the requirements to join, such as having a green card, Social Security number and my certificates and academic degrees," said Ordinola Valdez. "I was interested in the rate or career related to business, logistics and administration."

Ordinola Valdez attended one of Peru’s oldest and most prestigious universities, the National University of San Agustin, studying economics and logistics and earning an undergraduate degree. Additionally, she has a master's in business management and a doctorate in administration.

Ordinola Valdez held the number one ranked position during the development of her career and won the Criscos Scholarship to study in Argentina. She ultimately returned to the city where she was born to share her knowledge with local youth in Tacna.

The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Peru.

"My parents always taught me ethics, honesty and the importance of work, since work dignifies human beings," said Ordinola Valdez. "I'm a person with solid ethical values and a professional at work. These are the values that my parents instilled in me."

Today, Ordinola Valdez serves as a logistics specialist responsible for operating financial accounting systems and managing inventories of repair parts and general supplies that support ships, squadrons and shore-based activities.

"I like all the activities in the office and in the storerooms, the training to learn more about the Navy and the different programs, and to learn more about logistics," said Ordinola Valdez. "It is the perfect job that combines physical and mental activity."

Headed by Capt. Christopher Barnes, NMRLC develops, acquires, produces, fields, sustains, and provides enduring lifecycle support of medical materiel solutions to the Fleet, Fleet Marine Force, and Joint Forces in high-end competition, crisis, and combat. At the forefront of Navy Medicine’s strategic evolution, NMRLC is well positioned to be the Joint Force’s premier integrated medical logistics support activity.

With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America.

Ordinola Valdez serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.

“We will earn and reinforce the trust and confidence of the American people every day,” said Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations. “Together we will deliver the Navy the nation needs.”

Ordinola Valdez has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.

"I am very proud to be in the U.S. Navy working in logistics," said Ordinola Valdez. "I am proud of all the learning I received in Chicago and Meridian, Mississippi. I am giving, and I will continue giving my best every day."

Ordinola Valdez can take pride in serving America through military service.

"Serving in the Navy means everything to me," said Ordinola Valdez. "It gives me the opportunity to protect my loved ones while improving myself, both academically and professionally."

"I like to be productive in every aspect of my life," added Ordinola Valdez. "I like to help and volunteer in cultural, sports and academic activities, demonstrating my commitment to youth and organizing seminars. I ranked first in the development of my economics career and in my postgraduate studies, which allowed me to win a study scholarship to study in Argentina. Research is another of my passions, writing scientific articles published in indexed journals and being cited in undergraduate and postgraduate theses in Latin America and Spain."