Veteran Spotlight: Lisa Hansen

Written by Roger H. Still, Transportation Manager – Safety

During the fall after her high school graduation, Lisa was working a couple of part-time jobs, but she wasn’t content and had a desire to do something more. Her search led her to the U.S. Navy Recruiters office and a new adventure for the young woman from Omaha, Nebraska. Lisa told me that she still can’t explain how a landlocked young woman from the middle of our country ended up joining the Navy—but it happened. 

The Start of Lisa’s Career

In October 1992, Lisa left for Naval Training Center in Orlando, Florida, for her Basic Training and then attended Accession Training at the Naval Technical Training Center in Meridian, Mississippi. Over the next eight weeks, she would learn the basic skills to become a storekeeper. She learned about ordering, stocking, and issuing repair parts, clothing, and general supplies. All of which was followed up with instruction on how to organize and maintain financial records, accounting systems, and inventory databases for supplies in shore-based warehouses and ships’ storerooms.

After spending the winter in the southern states, Lisa was then sent to the Naval Reserve Unit located at SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx, New York, as her first permanent duty station. Needless to say, it was an adventure for a young lady from Nebraska. Lisa would stay there for three years before the Navy realized she hadn’t experienced enough of our country and reassigned her to the Naval Reserve Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Hawaii, like the Bronx, was an adventure, which she was able to enjoy for almost two years before being recruited to be the lead petty officer of the Supply department aboard the USS Frederick (LST-1184). While on board, she was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the supply department, as well as the ship’s Hazardous Materials Program, involving everything from compliance through inventories.

Returning Home, Then Being Re-Deployed

In 1998, Lisa decided to leave the Navy and move back home to Nebraska. But it wasn’t long before an opening at the Naval Reserve Center in Omaha, Nebraska, for a storekeeper 2nd class (SK2) presented itself. Once again, Lisa was back in the Navy as a reservist looking to rejoin the active-duty side. It was during her tenure with the Omaha Reserve Center that she was deployed to Camp Wolf in Kuwait and then onto the Al Asad Air Base in the Anbar Province in Western Iraq. While deployed she was attached to a Marine Expeditionary Group and took over logistics responsibilities for their Marine Aviation assets.  During her time there she would be involved in all things related to the aviation mission, including vertical replenishments, which could only be described as daring and dangerous by most accounts. 

When Lisa wasn’t involved in the throes of everyday life as a deployed SK2 attached to a Marine unit, she found herself on escort duty providing security and assistance on convoys and single-vehicle supply runs between bases in Kuwait. Lisa remembers her deployed time as the best time in the Navy. She was awarded the Fleet Marine Force badge—a coveted badge that is not often worn by storekeepers, as they aren’t usually assigned to deployed Marine units. She was also awarded an incentive flight in an Ilyushin II-76 Russian Military Aircraft. She remarked, “If you ever want a real thrill ride, try taking off and landing while you are sitting in a big glass turret on the belly of an aircraft!”

Lisa’s Career After the Navy

Lisa decided her time was in the Navy was done in 2004 and went to work for Prime Therapeutics writing end-user requirements and testing on their computer systems. After 11 years in the pharmacy benefit management world, Lisa decided to make a change and went through driver training school during the summer of 2019 and joined the Dot family in September that same year. 

Lisa is grateful for her time in the service, as it provided her with structure and a sense of discipline in her adult life that she never had before. She said that “my specialized licenses for forklifts, experience with large equipment used for aircraft loading/unloading, and time as a convoy escort all helped prepare me for my new career as a truck driver.”  

“You need to be structured and disciplined in your everyday work, especially as you are doing your pre-trip planning, inspections, and keeping a schedule.”  

She went onto say that “Dot’s amazing family culture” is reminiscent of her time in the Navy—you feel like part of a family no matter which location you’re visiting. Dot believes in providing growth opportunities for their employees, they recognize their efforts, and there is lots of caring and communication. 

Lisa lives with her husband Mark, who is also her best friend, teammate, and partner in crime. They reside in Bellevue, Nebraska, and team drive out of the Omaha terminal. Together they have four adult children—Ryan, Brad, Justin, and Amanda. Lisa enjoys spending time with her family and her mother, Gail. When she’s on the road she listens to audiobooks, and whenever possible, enjoys walking and taking in nature.

From Dot/DTI – Thank you Lisa and all our great veterans for your service to our country!