129 Years of Family Serving Family: Nona Capel, Dan Daniel Distribution Center

One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 129 years of family serving family.

Who she is: Nona Capel, Logistics operations manager, Dan Daniel Distribution Center

Years with the Exchange: 35 years

Military and Exchange connections: Capel has strong family ties in the military. Her husband, retired Master Sgt. Lester Capel, served in the Army for 26 years and retired in 2008. Both of Capel’s daughters were materials handlers at DDDC. Latoshia Capel worked for the Exchange for three years and Paquita Scott for five years.

“Being a military spouse was wonderful. Our first duty station was at Fort Eustis, but moving to Hawaii after we wed was like a honeymoon,” she said. “When you’re traveling with the military you gain an extended family, both at the Exchange and within the military community.”

More than 20 of her relatives have served in the military including:

• Grandfather Jake Waiters, who served in the Army and fought in World War I.
• Uncle Sarwarii Carpenter, a retired sergeant major who served 24 years in the Army.
• Nephew Lorenzo Capel, a retired gunnery sergeant who served 20 years in the Marines.
• Niece Kira Lee, who is active duty in the Navy.
• Cousin Thomas Capel, a retired Army command sergeant major who served 36 years and his wife, Marissa, a retired U.S. Army sergeant major who served 24 years.
• Cousin La’Keshia Austin, a retired chief petty officer in the Navy who served 22 years and her husband, Lonnie Austin, a retired 1st petty officer in the Navy who served 21 years.
• Cousin Eddie Barringer, a retired Marines gunnery sergeant who served 20 years in the Marines.

Capel also has a brother-in-law and a sister-in-law who served in the military.

Where she’s worked: Following her husband through his military career, Nona has worked at Fort Eustis; Dan Daniel Distribution Center; Fort Shafter; Hickam AFB; Schofield Barracks; and Fort Gregg-Adams. She’s held a variety of roles including forklift trainer, certified HAZMAT preparer and EEO counselor.

“I worked at the furniture store, warehouse and main store at Hickam,” she said. “Meeting people on the job was one of my favorite experiences. Most of the food on the installation was unique to the culture, and I enjoyed picking up on their language and culture while living in Hawaii for 10 years.”

What she did at first: Capel’s first job with the Exchange was a cashier checker HPP-2 at Fort Eustis in 1987. The following year, she took a job as a semi-skilled warehouse worker HPP-4 at Dan Daniel Distribution Center.

“We lived across the street from the gas station, and a manager told me they needed help, so I gladly applied,” she said. “It was very convenient to walk to work, and I decided to stick with the Exchange because of the benefits and being able to work on different bases as my husband’s career evolved.”

Her favorite part about the job: Capel received a bachelor’s degree in business administration while working at the distribution center in 2012. The Exchange’s Tuition Assistance program covered part of her tuition.

“I highly recommend the program to anyone interested in pursuing a degree,” she said. “The Exchange’s benefits are great, and as I near the end of my career I recommend all associates utilize as much of the resources as possible, including the retirement plan.”

Memorable moments: “I have so many memorable moments working for the Exchange,” she said. “Working in Logistics, I have learned the true meaning of ‘we go where you go.’ I’ve offloaded products, stored, picked, packed and shipped millions of items over the years to support our brave service men, women and families stateside and overseas.”

Family serving family: Capel will retire in September after 35 years of service to the Exchange.

“When you work with a person for an extended amount of time and long hours, we consider ourselves family,” she said. “I am thankful and grateful for the opportunities and benefits I’ve been given while working for the Exchange. Taking care of our service men, women and military families is a great honor, and my journey with the Exchange has been awesome.”