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As Veterans Day approaches on Tuesday, Nov. 11, Fairfax County Public Schools is recognizing employees whose military experience continues to shape their work with students, colleagues and families.
Among them are Frank Altamirano, an elementary school teacher who served in the U.S. Navy, and Alnita Lovelace Baldon, a business operations assistant who completed 26 years of military service.
Altamirano teaches art and STEAM—science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics—at Hybla Valley Elementary School. He served in the Navy from 1996 to 2002 as a gas turbine systems technician and reached the rank of GSM2, Second Class Petty Officer, or E5.
During two conflict deployments aboard the USS Barry DDG52 and USS Nicholson DD982, Altamirano visited more than 20 countries. Both ships were berthed at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia.
His naval experience now informs classroom lessons about energy, weather and turbines. Students design turbine blades and shapes, then use them to generate electricity while exploring possible STEAM careers.
Altamirano also tells students that military service helped him attend college and taught him to look out for others.
Baldon, who works in the Department of Strategy, Planning, and Learning, grew up surrounded by military service. Her father, uncles and brothers served, but she became the first woman in her family to enlist when she joined the Women’s Army Corps in 1975.
After basic training, she was assigned to the Lieber U.S. Army Reserve Center in Alexandria, serving as a company clerk and supply sergeant. A male drill sergeant later challenged her to complete the drill sergeant academy. She succeeded in 1978 and became an academy instructor.
Baldon continued serving at Fort Belvoir before receiving an honorable discharge as a specialist E5 in 1984. After taking time to raise her family, she joined the Virginia Defense Force, a component of the Virginia National Guard, in 2008.
Her roles included training academy instructor and first sergeant in Manassas, Warrenton and Fairfax. She also temporarily served as regiment command sergeant major and supported the Virginia Defense Force command sergeant major.
In her final assignment, Baldon traveled across Virginia as an adviser and senior noncommissioned officer to a battalion commander and troops in Richmond, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Fairfax, Warrenton and Winchester. During several State Active Duty assignments with the National Guard, she helped oversee administrative and logistical support for troops stationed throughout the commonwealth.
She retired in June after 26 years of military service, concluding her career as command sergeant major of the 11th Signal Command/11th Civil Response Battalion, 1st Regiment.
Baldon said her career taught her patience, flexibility, understanding and readiness for change. She sees those lessons reflected in education, where employees must keep learning and teaching, adapt to last-minute changes and set a positive example for children, parents, coworkers and families.