Congratulations to Maria Bandouveres who is celebrating 80 years of civil service! In 1944, Maria Bandouveres began her federal career as a clerk-typist during World War II. More than 80 years later, she continues to serve our nation at Hanscom Air Force Base (Mass.) "Her most important role has been a guardian of our ideals through time," said Maj Gen Anthony Genatempo, reflecting on Maria's remarkable career. Today, officials honored Maria's unparalleled dedication with a ceremony recognizing her 80 years of federal service.
💞👏We could not close out the United States Department of Defense Value of Service Day without a big congrats to Hanscom Air Force Base (Mass.)'s Maria Bandouveres who is celebrating 80 YEARS of civil service! In 1944, during World War II, Bandouveres, a 17-year-old Cambridge, Massachusetts native, began her federal career as a clerk-typist to support the war effort. Her journey began just after her high school graduation on June 6, 1944 – D-Day. Encouraged by high school teachers to take the Civil Service Exam, Bandouveres soon began working at the South Boston Army Station, filing purchase orders as a Clerical-Administrative-Fiscal-1, or CAF-1, today's equivalent of the general schedule pay scale. She later worked at the Navy Supply Corps School at Harvard University, where she manually typed travel checks for Sailors and then was hired by the Army Air Corps, working at the Cambridge Field Station on Albany Street, typing job descriptions in the Position Classification Office. By the early 1950s, Bandouveres started to work at Laurence G. Hanscom Field in Bedford, Mass., now Hanscom Air Force Base, where she's been ever since. Why does she serve? In her words at the 80-year milestone event, "I have met some of the best people during my time here. They have been the best people I have ever worked with in every position I have had. I don’t know how to thank you for being here with me.” #PeopleofAFMC #WhyIServe #valueofservice