128 Years of Family Serving Family: Ronald Retuta, MVO and 55-Year Exchange Veteran, Hawaii Distribution Center

One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 128 years of family serving family.

Who he is: Ronald Retuta, motor vehicle operator, Hawaii Distribution Center

Years with the Exchange: Retuta’s teammates recently held a celebration for his 55 years of service, where he also received a service award.

What brought him to the Exchange: Steven Ramos, a motor vehicle operator and Retuta’s good friend from Kauai, where Retuta was born and raised before moving to Oahu in 1968, let him know about a job opening at the Exchange. “He came to see me, said ‘Do you want to work for AAFES? There’s an opening.’ So I came and put an application in. In 1968, I was hired as a truck helper.”

It was his first job. “I have remained dedicated to AAFES for 55 years because I had to support my wife and children,” Retuta says.

What he did at first: He loaded and unloaded store deliveries to branches, as well as assisted receivers with documents.

What he does now: Currently, Retuta works in the warehouse, pulling dry orders and preparing them on a pallet to send out for delivery. He also assists in maintaining the warehouse inventory system. Before transitioning into a non-driving role, Retuta made deliveries to all Exchange locations on Oahu. His route included Schofield Barracks and Wheeler Air Force Base (in the center of the island) to Hale Koa and Hickam Air Force Base (near Honolulu) to Bellows Air Station in Waimanalo on the East Shore. “I have enjoyed delivering goods to the different Shoppettes (Expresses), Exchange food services and establishments,” Retuta says.

Military connections: “The only connection with the military would be that I have worked with the Exchange,” Retuta says. “I’ve enjoyed meeting many military families from all over the world when they would come pick up their merchandise from HADC many years ago.” His wife also works in military-contracted janitorial services on Ford Island, which houses the USS Arizona, Missouri and Utah memorials, Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum and K. Mark Takai Pacific Warfighting Center. “We both have helped serve military families on base in our careers,” Retuta says.

Favorite run: Retuta says deliveries to Bellows Air Station in Waimanalo are his favorite. “It’s a good area,” says Retuta, who has taken that drive nearly every day for the past 55 years. “I take the H3 straight to Bellows, where we have a gas station. It overlooks the Waimanalo Beach area,” Retuta says. Interstate H3 passes through the Ko’olau Range, following Halawa Valley, on the east side of the island. “I’ve seen countless rainbows. Too many to count!”

Toughest run: If Retuta has to deliver to Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, he tries to head there as soon as he can.

“There’s a lot of traffic. Backing up into Tripler is not easy because it’s really tight to reverse in there. If anybody is parked there, you just have to wait there,” Retuta says, adding that the wait can be long. “Sometimes it is too long. By the time they get out, you could be logged out for the day. If I have Tripler logged, I do it first thing.”

Family serving family: “Here in Hawaii, we have a lot of aloha and we like to share that with our military family as well,” Retuta says. While the word “aloha” is commonly used as a greeting, it holds significant cultural and spiritual meaning in the Hawaiian language, expressing love, peace and compassion.

Retuta also says he has felt a sense of belonging at the Exchange. “At HADC, my co-workers, supervisors, and managers have made me feel appreciated,” Retuta says. “They are my second family. I am looking forward to serving for many more years!”