Kei Takano, Logistics Readiness Center-Honshu (Courtesy photo) ()
What is your hometown?
Yokosuka, Japan. As an Army brat, I have moved in between the U.S. and Japan for most of my life, until I finally decided to come back to Japan.
How long have you been working for the U.S. Army:
I started in July of 2012, so I have been in this position for a little over 10 years.
What other positions have you held with the U.S. Military:
This is my first position with the U.S. military.
Tell us about your job and what you do:
I am a store keeping clerk for LRC Maintenance which means I buy or order parts to help support the repairs for vehicles or other equipment used. I originally started at Yokohama North Dock Maintenance and then transferred to Sagami Depot in the same position a few years ago.
Tell us a little about Global Combat Support Systems-Army:
The Global Combat Support Systems-Army, (GCSS-ARMY), is the system we use to track work orders, order parts and complete the work we do to help support the Army. We can also use it to check/track our inventory and turn-in parts. It helps because we can actually go paperless, by just using email and GCSS-ARMY.
What was it like teaching Japanese Local National employees how to use the GCSS-A?
For me, it wasn’t as difficult as I thought. I am bilingual and it may sometimes take me a minute, but I can often translate easily from English to Japanese and vice versa. I’ve never seen myself as a teacher, so this was a new experience for me that I learned from.
What other duties are you responsible for?
I also process hazardous materials, contact vendors overseas when looking for and ordering the parts, escort vendors on base to deliver parts that are too heavy to carry by hand, delivering parts to other bases should other personnel not be available, and I am a cardholder for LRC.
What is the best thing about working at LRC-Honshu?
The people. These people that I work with day in and day out make working here easier every day. They are some of the best people and are always willing to lend a hand even if I don’t ask. My bosses are the best and two of the easiest to talk to and they are never more than a phone call away to help.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I love to cook. I often go to cooking classes on the weekends and cook or bake. I cook and bake sometimes on special occasions for my family. I also love to travel and see new places. I am also a devoted Disney lover and go every chance I get. I buy way too much Disney memorabilia and am running out of space to put everything …
