DLA leaders honor Troop Support personnel and present McNamara awards
"You know the benefits of his foresight, effectiveness and efficiency," DLA Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly told the assembled workforce as he presented the McNamara Icon Award to Bill Kenny, DLA Troop Support’s executive director of contracting and acquisition management. "Nobody is more deserving."
The McNamara Icon Award recognizes current or former civilian or military personnel whose leadership and achievements have established an enduring, measurable impact on agency operations, customer support and defense culture. Kenny, honored for 46 years of distinguished service guiding a $26 billion procurement enterprise across the Department of War, advanced joint force readiness by co-creating the military's commercial food delivery network, securing historic presidential emergency authorities to fortify the domestic defense industrial base and executing joint national contracts that yielded more than $3.5 billion in cost avoidances.
"This is a real team effort," Kenny said upon accepting the award. "Thank you for your professionalism and friendship."
Simerly also conferred the McNamara Icon Award on Bob Ratner, chief of staff at DLA Troop Support, commending a 43-year federal career that anchored the command's strategic posture through shifting global defense priorities. Ratner provided essential executive continuity across the tenures of numerous flag and general officers, orchestrating complex staff actions and sustaining round-the-clock combat support during the COVID-19 pandemic, noncombatant evacuation operations and high-tempo contingency missions worldwide.
"He has been the straw that stirs the drink," Simerly said of Ratner. "He is constantly pulling strings for the benefit of the warfighter and this team. He is persistent and gritty."
The award honors the legacy of Lt. Gen. Andrew T. McNamara, an Army quartermaster general and decorated World War II logistician who assumed command of the newly established Defense Supply Agency in 1961 with the mission of centralizing wholesale logistics across the armed forces. Merging decades of disparate service supply systems with an initial cadre of only 100 planners, McNamara built an integrated combat support organization that, by his retirement in 1964, managed 1.3 million line items, maintained a $2.2 billion inventory and distributed $3 billion in materiel annually to the military departments.
"Being recognized with Bill is very special," Ratner said. "It's been an honor to work here, and I'm not done yet."
The two-day command visit reinforced DLA's core strategic imperatives: People, Precision, Posture and Partnerships. Beginning Sept. 10 when DLA Vice Director Brad Bunn was at the Philadelphia major subordinate command, he presented employee recognition awards to five high-performing staff members. Bunn recognized Michael Weckesser of the Construction and Equipment supply chain for materiel planning expertise supporting search-and-rescue items and the national Wildland Fire Protection Program, and Derrick Cash of Clothing and Textiles for enhancing acquisition acumen and professional development through targeted instructional sessions and joint service modernization initiatives.
"Our workforce represents our decisive advantage, translating precision logistics into sustained military readiness for the joint force and our whole-of-government partners in contested environments," Bunn said during the visit.
Bunn also commended Lauren Retos of the Medical supply chain for driving financial discipline and audit readiness by reducing older unspent contract obligations by 52% while developing operational hospital sustainment dashboards for joint theater logistics. U.S. Army Master Sgt. Jose Montero of Subsistence was recognized for rapid emergency leadership following a major water pipe break in an agency building, safeguarding vital logistics systems and records while concurrently directing operational rations support for forward-deployed forces. In addition, Bunn recognized Bridget Padua of the command's Operations and Planning Directorate, who mobilized a 100-member joint logistics cell within one hour to direct over $500 million in emergency requisitions when theater demands surged 30-fold during sudden contingency operations.
"Whether executing round-the-clock surge operations or responding to unforeseen operational disruptions, our personnel demonstrate the responsiveness and resilience essential to modern military logistics," Bunn noted.
The recognition ceremony continued Sept. 11 under Simerly, who presented leadership awards to frontline personnel, beginning with Edward Henderson of Construction and Equipment for executing urgent force-protection requirements and coordinating with the 82nd Airborne Division and regional Air Force component commands to forward-position heavy protective barriers and bunker materiel across operational theaters.
"You and your team have saved lives and are saving lives," Simerly told Henderson. "Thank you."
Simerly next recognized Jorge Valentin Torres of Clothing and Textiles for advancing the supply chain from a reactive posture to predictive readiness, deploying automated forecasting tools that provide real-time asset visibility and optimizing operational workflows ahead of enterprise realignment milestones.
"Clothing and Textiles is an asset and have fixed many supply chain issues," Simerly said. "Thank you."
Medical contracting officer Melissa Randazzo received recognition from the director for executing high-priority federal procurement directives and workforce standards across the defense medical catalog, ensuring contractual integrity across pharmaceutical and hospital materiel lines while managing a full procurement caseload.
"Medical supports the warfighter in a unique way with field hospitals, vaccines and other important items," Simerly said. "It's a special mission."
Simerly also commended Subsistence division chief Jasmine Brown for safeguarding combat readiness and force resilience by proactively managing commercial supplier performance and resolving inter-theater distribution constraints for operational rations and field health supplies delivered to deployed units.
"Operational Rations underpins readiness," Simerly said. "Keeping that pipeline flush is critical."
Concluding the presentations, Simerly recognized Alec Fixl of the Strategic Initiatives Group for delivering enterprise digital tools, including a central governance and audit compliance portal supporting revolving defense fund tracking, alongside analytical manning dashboards that provide senior commanders real-time visibility into personnel allocations.
"Through data-driven precision and resilient supply chains, we ensure our global posture remains ready to sustain the combatant commands at the speed of relevance," Simerly said."
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