598th Transportation Group mourns loss of colleague.

Members of the 598th Transportation Group have been saddened by the loss Oct. 15 of Joel Cajudo, a veteran transportation planner. He was 50.

Cajudo joined SDDC's European headquarters in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in January 2004 to provide distribution and deployment planning support. Previously, Cajudo was a medical logistics planner for the Naval Medical Logistics Command, Fort Detrick, Md.

"Our condolences go to Raquel, his wife, Joel's children and his entire family," said Col. Gary Stanley, 598th commander. "Joel will be sorely missed. He was an exemplary government employee, a great colleague and an outstanding member of our team."

SDDC employees remember Cajudo as an excellent team member and positive personality.

"His family was No. 1 in Joel's life and you knew this by how proudly he spoke of them and the sacrifices he made each day to ensure they could achieve their goals and dreams," said John Fisher, his supervisor. "I will miss his positive attitude, analytical conversations, and the personal experiences that he brought to myself and our organization each and every day."

Velvet Taylor, paralegal specialist, has similar strong reminisces.

"Joel always had a smile to share," said Taylor. "He was so easy to talk to. I remember one afternoon this summer when he stopped by my office. We spent about 20 minutes just talking about our kids and their schools and what a great opportunity it was for them to be here.

"I remember going home that night and telling my husband what a great guy Joel was, just a genuinely nice guy. I will always miss his smile!"

Cajudo was a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Navy. His shipboard assignments included the: USS Iwo Jima, USS Forrestal, USS Saratoga, USS Takelma, USS Samuel Gompers and USS Leftwich.

Cajudo is survived by his wife, Raquel Calma; daughter, Tarja; and son, Jedidiah.