# Past employees, commander, join DLA Troop Support’s Hall of Fame legacy

/ Published Dec. 13, 2023
PHILADELPHIA, 
Two former employees and one past commander were inducted into the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support’s Hall of Fame during a ceremony in their honor December 12 in Philadelphia.

Army Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command’s Commanding General Maj. Gen. Gavin A. Lawrence, Robert Emhof and Gina Vasquez were joined by family, friends, and former colleagues to mark their induction into the Hall of Fame, a DLA Troop Support tradition established in 1994.

“The legacy of DLA Troop Support Hall of Fame inductees has shaped what the organization is today,” said DLA Troop Support Commander Army Col. Landis Maddox. “A supply chain logistics powerhouse: agile and innovative in global support to warfighters and our interagency whole of government customers.”

Maddox officiated the ceremony and described the inductees as leaving an indelible mark on the organization through their significant contributions.

“They have distinguished themselves because of their exceptional technical knowledge, their resolute leadership, their crystal-clear vision, and their unwavering commitment,” Maddox said.

Lawrence served as DLA Troop Support commander from to 2019 to 2021, leading the organization during the COVID-19 pandemic, including numerous high-level engagements to acquire personal protective equipment and vaccines.

Under his leadership, DLA Troop Support amassed over $19.1 billion in fiscal year 2020 sales and ultimately grew to $21.5 billion in fiscal 2021 sales.

“To the leaders and workforce that make up DLA Troop Support, thank you,” Lawrence said. “I stand before you with a heart full of gratitude and humility as we celebrate the lineage and the contributions of this organization.

“And that’s really what it’s about,” he continued. “It’s not about me and my accomplishments because everything that was done under the tenure of my command was accomplished by, through, and with the phenomenal workforce here at DLA Troop Support.”

Emhof led a federal career of 42 years, culminating as a senior procurement analyst in the Procurement Process Support directorate.

Emhof was an expert in acquisition strategy, spearheading and supporting several innovative contracting practices still used today, including commercial prime vendor contracting at DLA Troop Support in the early 1990s.

“The thing is for me, for 42 years, it was not a difficult road to travel,” Emhof said. “Knowing what we all do to support the men and women in uniform who are prepared to put their lives on the line every day to protect our rights and freedoms, I figured it was the least I could do.”

Vasquez worked the entirety of her federal career in the Subsistence supply chain, starting as a clerk typist in 1977 to retiring as the director of supplier operations in 2019.

Within her final position, Vasquez was responsible for the acquisition and logistics management of subsistence items to the military services, ensuring nonstop worldwide support worth approximately $2.7 billion in annual business.

“I’ve been very honored to do something that I love and that is very, very special to me,” Vasquez said. “I am very grateful to DLA Troop Support for giving me a job I enjoyed while providing me with the opportunity to serve others.”

Each inductee was presented with a plaque commemorating their induction and are now featured on the DLA Troop Support Hall of Fame wall display.