At the end of World War II, there were mountains of excess supplies located at seaports and on 

military bases. Acres and acres were covered by thousands of vehicles of all kinds flanked by 

rows of warehouses stocked with goods and equipment.

Agencies were created to distribute the excess and surplus items. Many unneeded items were sold 

and veterans received preference.

Congress passed a law in 1949 specifying how excess military items should be 

redistributed and allowing for their sale when deemed surplus. It remains the basic law that 

defines the mission of DLA Disposition Services.

In 1972, a Senate subcommittee heard testimony regarding the McClellan Report that cited 

“deficiencies or weaknesses in the inventory and accountability of our wholesale military supply 

systems,” especially relating to the sale of military surplus property worldwide. It directed 

“centralization of management controls and visibility of DOD property at all worldwide 

locations.”

DLA Disposition Services has served taxpayers as part of the Defense Logistics Agency for 

decades under different names, and at first as part of the Defense Supply Agency.

ESTABLISHMENT HISTORY
Team,

It is hard to believe that I have been at the 

helm of the Defense Logistics Agency

Disposition Services for nearly of a decade, 

and as we approach September 12, we reflect 

on the 50-year anniversary of the creation of 

the Defense Property Disposal Service. 

After several reorganizations and name 

changes, DPDS would eventually transform 

into DLA Disposition Services. 

As we celebrate our organization’s historic 

anniversary this year, we are highlighting on 

our many triumphs and accomplishments. 

DLA Disposition Services has enjoyed a 

storied history in the 50 years since its 

creation. The major subordinate command has 

provided direct support to every military action 

since the Vietnam War. 

Expeditionary civilians from Disposition Services often dwarfed the number of other DLA 

employees supporting the warfighter. In 2010, for example, more than half of all DLA’s overseas 

expeditionary deployments were sourced by Disposition Services civilian personnel and military 

reservists mobilizing to support our military. 

In addition to supporting military actions, Disposition Services has provided immense resources 

to humanitarian assistance efforts worldwide. These ongoing efforts have provided access to

shelter, power generation, and even complete hospital units to communities in need. 

This anniversary booklet will help guide you through our organization’s many accomplishments 

and will serve to illuminate the important roles that Disposition Services has provided to our 

nation. We are immensely proud of all that we all have accomplished throughout the generations 

of individuals who have served with Disposition Services. 

Please take a moment to appreciate all that we have accomplished and celebrate our

achievements with us as we excitedly anticipate another 50 years serving our great nation.

MICHAEL O. CANNON, SES

DIRECTOR

DLA DISPOSITION SERVICES

www.dla.mil/DispositionServices
 Re ecting on the past

While Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services

has been known by various names over decades, its 

mission remains essentially unchanged. In 2022, the 

organization that responsibly manages disposal of most 

property across the Defense Department celebrates its 

50th birthday.

From boots to barbells, rifles to robots, and tents to

tubas, DLA’s disposal professionals have received it all. 

Operating across hundreds of support 

locations, through half a century, they’ve 

tended to the reverse logistics needs of U.S. 

warfighters and partner nation collaborators 

around the globe with steady professionalism 

and expertise. And while their methods, 

tools, and technologies have vastly improved 

over time, the organization’s core tenets of 

fiscal and environmental stewardship, along 

with strong accountability controls for 

controlled property, remain steadfast.

September officially marks the

golden anniversary of the command

originally dubbed Defense Property

Disposal Service, headquartered in Battle

Creek, Michigan, in 1972. The DPDS

establishment consolidated responsibility

for hundreds of military surplus locations 

previously managed by various commissions, 

divisions, and agencies. But to better understand

why the entity was created, it’s helpful to look further 

back, into the World War II era.

The U.S. entered conflict reluctantly, in late 1941, 

following the sneak attack by Japanese naval forces on 

Pearl Harbor. Industrial production had already grown

significantly from pre-war levels to meet massive orders 

for planes, ships and equipment desperately needed by 

Allied combatants. Once the U.S. fully engaged in war, 

domestic production expanded even more dramatically.

By the epic struggle’s end, U.S. industry had produced 

more than 300,000 planes, nearly 2.5 

million military trucks, 124,000 ships, 

boats, and subs, and 100,000 tanks – 

ultimately building half of the entire 

world’s war-related material at the time.

“We won because we smothered the 

enemy in an avalanche of production, the 

like of which he had never seen, nor 

dreamed possible,” said former General 

Motors President William Knudsen, who 

was directly commissioned as a 

lieutenant general in 1942 and appointed 

director of production for the War 

Department.

As global conflict waned, vast amounts 

of excess supplies clogged U.S. seaports 

and military installations. Hundreds of 

acres were covered by thousands of 

vehicles and warehouses filled with unused goods and 

equipment. How was a nation supposed to responsibly 

find end uses for an estimated $50 billion or more in 

surplus items?
The Surplus Property Act of 

1944 allowed for, among

other things, the disbursement 

of unneeded goods and 

equipment to “a State, political

subdivision of a State, or

tax-supported organization.”

A patchwork of agencies and

regional authorities emerged

to help distribute the largesse

entrusted to the newly

created Foreign Liquidation

Commission and War Assets

Administration. Items of all

types were sold piecemeal or

in large lots, and veterans 

often received preference for 

big ticket units like small 

airplanes, tractors, and 

generators at massive public auction events. Field jackets, 

watches, aviator sunglasses, flamethrowers (marketed as 

a useful solution for farm weed control), diesel engines, 

pickup trucks ... it was all up for grabs, and small surplus 

shops sought out the deals to stock items in their 

hometown retail storefronts.

Over time, questions arose over disbursal transparency.

Everyone had sacrificed. Everyone had contributed.

Why should a citizen who lives close to a major base

or equipment storehouse have an advantage over an

entrepreneurial person who must travel hundreds of miles

or more to attend a government auction?

Partly in response to those types of concerns, Congress

repealed and replaced the Surplus Property Act with

passage of the Federal Property and Administrative

Services Act of 1949. The new law delegated surplus

property authority to executive agencies, giving DOD

autonomy to control the flow of its own surplus. Now, 

each military service was tasked to develop a surplus 

program, and the act remains the basic law defining the 

modern-day mission of DLA Disposition Services.

For roughly the next decade, DOD consolidated

administration of the services’ individual logistics needs, 

including property disposal. Centralization of effort 

seemed inevitable; some major 

inefficiencies had been revealed by war. 

Each service could not continue to 

maintain separate supply systems, each 

with a unique catalog of items, with

no comprehensive way to check

compatibility or whether major

redundancies or material deficits

existed across the department.

In 1958, the Armed Forces Supply 

Support Center was established to 

maintain a Federal Catalog System 

standardizing names and data on the

millions of items used by the 

military. When the Defense Supply 

Agency (now the Defense Logistics

Agency) was created in 1961,

AFSSC was assigned to it. Under 

DSA leadership, AFSSC was soon 

renamed Defense Logistics Services 

Center and relocated from 

Washington, D.C., to Michigan in 

1963. While DLSC’s original 

mission was developing and 

maintaining the Federal Catalog 

System, it was also assigned a role 

in the management of DOD surplus

sales, property reuse, and recycling, 

taking over for an entity called the 

Interservice Material Utilization 

Agency.

Arkansas Senator John L. McClellan chaired

congressional sub-committee hearings in 1972 that

reviewed the performance of DOD’s surplus property

mission. The document that emerged from the hearings

– nicknamed the “McClellan Report” – recommended

tighter centralization of military property disposal to

ensure dangerous or technologically advanced material

couldn’t make its way into the hands of adversaries. The

document cited numerous “deficiencies or weaknesses in

the inventory and accountability of our wholesale 

military supply systems,” especially relating to the sale of 

military surplus property. It directed “centralization of 

management controls and visibility of DOD property at 

all worldwide locations.”

In response, the Defense Property Disposal Service

was born in September 1972 and inherited the surplus

sales and property reuse missions from DLSC. DPDS

grew its workforce to nearly 6,000 and quickly assumed

management of a mix of more than 300 former Army,

Navy, Air Force, and combined property disposal sites

located at or near installations for renaming as Defense

Property Disposal Offices. In the following years, DPDS

absorbed other important reverse logistics services like

precious metals recovery, hazardous waste disposal and

recycling sales.
In 1985, the organization’s name changed to Defense

Reutilization and Marketing Service, or DRMS, and

field locations became Defense Reutilization and 

Marketing Offices, or DRMOs.

During the organization’s 25 years as DRMS, it was

considered a DLA “primary-level field activity” and

continued providing the military with services for the

disposal of material no longer needed for national 

defense.

Government auctioneers held local sales at DRMOs

through bid or live auction, with items often sold in

smaller quantities that might appeal to local buyers. 

Fixed price retail sales were offered at some DRMOs, 

aimed at customers interested in buying inexpensive 

items for personal use. DRMS also offered a sales 

service for military customers who had direct sales 

authority. For a modest percentage of the proceeds, 

DRMS would perform all merchandizing, advertising, 

and contracting functions on a command’s behalf, 

providing the DOD property holder with assurance and 

confidence that all laws and regulations were followed.

As the pace of technological change accelerated in the

90s, the end strength of the organization began to 

recede,

coinciding with post-Cold War drawdowns and Base 

Realignment and Closure orders. Property receipt 

systems started going online and new automated tools 

and increased computing power allowed specialists to 

accomplish more. A national toll-free number helped 

pass auction and sales information to the public. As an 

early adopter of the World Wide Web, DRMS laid a 

strong foundation for greater customer reach with the 

creation of a searchable online property database that 

eventually morphed into its Reutilization, Transfer and 

Donation and Sales web pages and allowed for online 

bidding.

In about a decade’s time, from the aftermath of the

Gulf War until the start of Operation Enduring Freedom 

in Afghanistan, DRMS was essentially halved. Its 

physical infrastructure shrank from more than 200 field 

sites to about 100, and manpower contracted from nearly 

4,000 full-time employees to less than 2,000. Reductions 

took place even as the remaining workforce continued to 

process millions of customer turn-ins originally worth 

tens of billions each year and ensure that controlled 

property was dealt with responsibly.

More major demands followed in the new millennium.

Lengthy conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan brought heavy

deployment responsibilities for expeditionary personnel.

Overall direction for DRMS fell to a Senior Executive

Service civilian for the first time. Private contract firms

began executing the agency’s public sales. A higher 

demand for transfers and donations arose from customers 

in law enforcement, firefighting, state and municipal 

government and humanitarian and disaster relief 

organizations who looked more and more frequently to 

DLA’s available surplus stock to meet emergency needs 

and cover local budget shortfalls. In 2010, DRMS 

became DLA Disposition Services and labeled as a major 

sub-command of DLA.

Looking back, it’s easy to see that steady change

became something of a theme for the organization – not

in the professionalism of its specialists and the services it

provides, but in the various methods used to get the job

done. Luckily, a purposeful focus on preparing its 

civilians and reserve military unit augmentees for 

expeditionary support in the past decade has created the 

knowledge base, the creativity, and the actual physical 

toolkits to quickly meet the needs of warfighters 

essentially anywhere they might be. 

DLA removed about

1.5 billion pounds of scrap during

operations in Afghanistan.
Collective lessons learned from hundreds of deployments 

have shaped a workforce that now has a keen sense of 

how to operate far away from the traditional office while 

still helping military and whole-of-government customers 

consider their disposal needs well in advance.

Looking forward, it’s difficult to predict what disasters,

humanitarian crises, or geopolitical conflicts might next

require DLA Disposition Services to flex and continually

adapt to its traditionally dynamic mission. But if its first

50 years have revealed anything, it’s that the future will

continue to demand that the organization remains resilient

and adapts to more potentially rapid change.

“I see us continuing to leverage technology to better 

support the warfighter,” said DLA Disposition Services 

Director Michael Cannon. “Scanning and item 

recognition technology, mobile 

computing/receiving/processing, new

methods of disposing of hazardous waste, and

even de-manufacturing additively manufactured

items to break them down into reusable

components are all very likely for our future.”

In recent years, the organization simultaneously 

embraced technology while DOD budget 

pressures prompted further restructuring

needs. To best align its personnel with the

geographic changes in where DOD customers

have clustered, the command executed a series

of refinement projects, including Network

Optimization, a headquarters streamlining, and

Field Office Realignment.

The resulting physical footprint of the organization is 

now leaner than it has ever been. But connectivity 

improvements, an ever-increasing reliance on the 

“Receipt In Place” concept, and more efficient 

transportation and workflow models with less touch 

points are allowing a smaller but more knowledgeable 

workforce to better match effort and resources to the 

locations and sources of highest demand for assistance.

“I see two things that won’t change,” Cannon said.

“First, is our dedication to support the warfighter 

wherever and whenever they need us. How we do that 

might change, but that core mission will remain a 

constant. And second is our reliance on a dedicated and 

professional workforce – civilians, active military, 

reservists, local nationals, and contractors – to execute 

that mission.”

Expeditionary civilians and their

uniformed teammates regularly train

together to provide reverse logistics to

warfifighters all over the world.

Thousands of military vehicles

are repurposed each year for

law enforcement, firefighting and

emergency response.
PAST COMMANDERS

BRIGADIER GENERAL

RICHARD H. THOMPSON, USA

SEPTEMBER 1972 - FEBRUARY 1973

BRIGADIER GENERAL 

GEORGE W. CONNELL, USA

FEBRUARY 1973 - JUNE 1975

CAPTAIN O.A. PORTER, SC, USN

JULY 1975 - OCTOBER 1975 

SEPTEMBER 1976 - OCTOBER 1976

MAJOR GENERAL

VINCENT ELLIS, USA

OCTOBER 1975 - SEPTEMBER 1976 

BRIGADIER GENERAL

WILLIAM R. COLEMAN, USAF

OCTOBER 1976 - AUGUST 1978 

CAPTAIN

FRANK R. NOLAN, SC, USN

MAY 1979 - JUNE 1979

BRIGADIER GENERAL ALLEN M. 

GOODSON, USA

JUNE 1979 - JULY 1981

BRIGADIER GENERAL

HENRY G. SKEEN, USA

JULY 1981 - FEBRUARY 1983

COLONEL

ERVAN E. ZOUZALIK, USA

FEBRUARY 1983 - MAY 1984

BRIGADIER GENERAL

THOMAS B. ARWOOD, USA

JUNE 1984 - JUNE 1987

BRIGADIER GENERAL

WILLIAM J. BECKER, USAF

AUGUST 1978 - MAY 1979

COLONEL

EDWARD J. McLAUGHLIN, USA

JUNE 1987 - AUGUST 1987 
PAST COMMANDERS

REAR ADMIRAL H. DONALD 

WEATHERSON, SC, USN

AUGUST 1987 - JULY 1989

COLONEL 

RAYMOND M. AGNOR, JR., USAF

JULY 1989 - AUGUST 1991

COLONEL 

JOHN N. STEWART, USA

AUGUST 1991 - MAY 1993

CAPTAIN DONALD A. HEMPSON, 

JR., SC, USN

MAY 1993 - JUNE 1996

COLONEL ROBERT E. 

MANSFIELD, JR., USAF

JULY 1996 - JUNE 1999

COLONEL 

JOHN A. MARX, USA

MAY 2001 - AUGUST 2003

COLONEL PATRICK E. 

O'DONNELL, USA

AUGUST 2003 - OCTOBER 2005

005

COLONEL 

DAVID RODRIGUEZ, USA

OCTOBER 2005 - FEBRUARY 2006

PAUL D. PETERS, SES

FEBRUARY 2006 - MARCH 2008

TWILA C. GONZALES, SES

MARCH 2008 - NOVEMBER 2013

CAPTAIN RICHARD H. 

FEIERABEND, SC, USN

JUNE 1999 - MAY 2001

COLONEL 

RICHARD BEZOLD, USA

NOVEMBER 2013 - APRIL 2014
Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services 

provided support to our nation’s warfighters 

throughout the Central region for nearly 20 years, 

assisting customers with items such as food, fuel, 

repair parts and construction material throughout 

multiple locations.

2021 marked the end of the U.S. military mission 

in Afghanistan – just as the primary military 

mission in Iraq ended a decade prior.

Reutilization and demilitarization services in both 

Iraq and Afghanistan were in high demand 

throughout. DLA operated four permanent disposal 

sites across Iraq – totaling over 150 acres – along 

with five other remote locations among the 

supporting facilities run by DLA Disposition 

Services while at one time Afghanistan boasted 10 

such sites.

Mission Complete:

Iraq and Afghanistan

“I’ve had the distinct 

pleasure of being a 

part of this 

organization that 

conducts retrograde 

operations out of a 

contingency zone,” 

said DLA 

Disposition Services 

Central Region 

Director Army Lt. 

Col. Juan Talamantes. “And [DLA personnel] have 

really been focusing their efforts on removing 

material handling equipment and hazardous wastes 

– and hazardous waste has its own particular level 

of challenges.”

The men and women of DLA Disposition Services 

Central region have grown used to the special 

challenges that come with supporting warfighters 

operating in the region.

“Primarily, here in [Central], what we see most is 

in the area of hazardous waste,” said Lead 

Environmental Protection Specialist Roosevelt 

Terrell. “Items may potentially be hazardous

property, such as used rags for maintenance 

operations, and a lot of contaminated liquids that 

could be ignitable. The safety aspect of hazardous 

property getting into the wrong hands could

be significant to the site personnel, buildings, and 

equipment.”
Hazardous waste was just one of many services 

provided over the years as demilitarization and 

disposal of other materials proved vital to the 

safety of personnel in the region.

Through proper scrap removal, vehicles and 

weapons underwent a demilitarization process to 

make them unusable. For example, without the 

proper disposal of commodities, adversaries

could potentially repurpose timers from appliances

into improvised explosive devices.

Bases throughout the region quickly generated 

large amounts of unserviceable property and the 

need to prevent that property from building up and 

occupying valuable space became a significant 

mission requirement. For instance, during fiscal 

2010, DLA personnel at Camp Leatherneck

removed more than 1,600 tons of scrap material.

To better handle the amount of material in 

Afghanistan, disposal yards opened at Bagram 

Airfield, Kandahar Airfield, Camp John Pratt and 

Camp Leatherneck. By placing these yards near 

DLA Distribution sites, customers minimized 

travel on dangerous roads to multiple locations to 

take advantage of DLA services.

The agency’s scrap removal in Afghanistan reached 

an estimated 1.4 billion lbs. between 2006 and the 

end of military operations there.

Scrap was often processed from remote locations 

where disposal teams effectively conducted mobile 

missions throughout the country in support of 

demilitarization and force protection requirements.

“A mobile mission is when the organization 

receives a requirement and it’s not at an established 

location or collection point, so that team will 

actually go there with assorted equipment and 

come in with the capability to do disposition,” said 

Talamantes. “That is really what gives the 

organization the ability to reach out and perform

removal of either equipment or hazardous waste.”

The dedicated men and women of DLA Disposition

Services accounted for over half of all agency 

civilian and military deployments during military 

operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

With forces no longer in Iraq and the drawdown of

Afghanistan complete, regional responsibilities 

have shifted to the other full-service property 

disposal sites across the Middle East.

Currently, DLA Disposition Services’ Kuwait and 

Qatar facilities can perform the entire 

demilitarization process on site. And for however 

long our nation’s warfighters need support, DLA 

will continue providing quality and proactive 

global reverse logistics solutions regardless of

the location.
THIS YEAR IN HISTORY

1972

• Established September 12, 1972.

1973

• Defense Property Disposal

Region Europe became first

region activated.

• At the time of its establishment,

DPDS encompassed 222 field

offices and operated in 23

foreign countries and the United

States. The orderly transfer of

over 5,000 employees from the

Army, Navy, Air Force and

Marine Corps to DPDS took

place. It became fully operational

in July.

• DLA played a role giving

overseas support during the

Middle East crisis when it was

called upon to deliver, on an

urgent basis, a wide range of

vitally needed military

equipment.

1974

• Federal Center buildings listed in

the National Registry of Historic

Places.

1975

• The First National Stock Number

of 5977-01-003-0176 was

assigned on March 26, to “Brush,

Block-Slip.” The user activity

was from Germany and the

manufacturer was Poly-Scientific

Corp., in Blacksburg, Virginia.

• The Integrated Disposal

Management System was

implemented to have an interim

mechanized property account

system.

1976

• The Defense Logistics Services

Center completed the

Government Accounting Office

NSN cancellation project. In all,

34,703 NSNs were cancelled.

• Cataloging handbooks H2-1 and

H3 were issued on microfiche for

the first time.

• The Defense Logistics Services

Center received responsibility

for recyclable materials.

1977

• Defense Supply Agency renamed

to Defense Logistics Agency.

5977 010030176

Federal 

Supply

National Identification

Number (NIIN)

FSC
1978

• Studies began on a more

sophisticated, computerized

Defense Automated Information

System.

1979

• Defense Logistics Services

Center received the

responsibility for the continuing

design, development and

maintenance of Disposal

Organization Mini-Operational

automatic data processing

systems. Defense Property

Disposal Offices used DOMINO

to receive property and HQ

DLSC used it for disposition

decisions.

1980

• DPDS assumed responsibility for

the disposal of Defense

Department hazardous property,

leading to the creation of the

Directorate of Environmental

Protection.

• Defense Department redefined

its recycling program - the DPDS

Resource Recovery and

Recycling Program was created.

• DPDS operated the Precious

Metals Recovery Program, in

cooperation with the military

services. During the fiscal year,

DPDS reclaimed 7,026 troy

ounces of gold, 185 troy ounces

of platinum and 2,009,000 troy

ounces of silver with a combined

value of $45 million. The cost to

recover these precious metals

was only $3 million.

1981

• First year DPDS reutilization

exceeded $1 billion.

1983

• The Interrogation Requirements

Information System became the

first online DAISY program

activated.

1984

• The Directorate of Contracting

was created at the Hart-DoleInouye Federal Center in Battle

Creek for the purpose of

administering hazardous waste

disposal contracts, precious

metals recovery contracts and

commercial activity contracts.

DLA Disposition Service 

employee Randy Young helped 

set up and train people on the 

DOMINO system, a 

minicomputer that was about 

6 ft. x 2 ft. and about 4 ft. tall. 

He recalled a disc storage being 

unlike anything he had ever 

seen before, stating that the 

disc resembled a vinyl record 

album but larger.

THIS YEAR IN HISTORY

1982

• The Defense Logistics Services

Center finished a two-year long

reorganization. The reorganization

involved realigning offices,

assuming new functions, and

reclassifying positions. Its goal

was to improve productivity,

reduce interruptions to operations,

increase customer satisfaction,

rewrite missions and eliminate

duplication of effort.
THIS YEAR IN HISTORY

1985

• DPDS was renamed Defense

Reutilization and Marketing

Service and field sites became

Defense Reutilization and

Marketing Offices.

1986

• DRMS joined the Humanitarian

Assistance Program, allowing

excess military property donation

to partner nations in times of

crisis.

1988 • The agency assumed

management of the nation’s

stockpile of strategic materials

from the General Services

Administration.

1989 • Used tires from DRMO helped

protect the nest of the

endangered California Least

Terns from high tide, the

species nest along the coastline.

1990

• The Defense Acquisition

Workforce Improvement Act

required the Defense Department

to establish education and

training standards, requirements,

and courses for the civilian and

military workforce.

• DRMS discontinued local

hazardous property sales at all

sites. The restructured program

was transferred to the National

Sales Office in Memphis.

Potential buyer destinations of

HM were more carefully vetted

though an Environmental

Responsibility Determination

process which include pre-award

surveys.

• DLA played a major role in

Operations DESERT SHIELD

and DESERT STORM, suppling

over $3 billion of food, clothing,

textiles, medical supplies and

weapons system repair parts.

1987

• The Defense Logistics Services

Center embarked on a program

to modernize automatic data

processing systems.

• The Contractor Inventory

Redistribution System started

tracking redistribution of excess

material no longer needed by

Defense Department contractors.
1991

• 1-800-222-DRMS became the

first toll-free number offered for

sales information.

• During Operation PROVIDE

COMFORT, DLA provided over

$68 million in relief supplies to

aid Iraqi refugees.

1992

• DRMS recognized with a Joint

Meritorious Unit Award for

issuing 1,600 items worth $15

million in support of Operations

DESERT SHIELD and DESERT

STORM forces.

1994

• New 1-800-GOVT-BUY number

began providing information on

sale locations and DRMOs.

• The first worldwide DRMO

website went live.

• DLA deployed an initial element

to support operations in Haiti and

established its first Contingency

Support Team.

• The Federal Acquisition

Streamlining Act dramatically

changed the way the government

performed its contracting

functions.

1995

• First DRMS commodity sale was

conducted by contract

auctioneering company; first

effort to privatize DRMS

functions.

• Searchable database offered on

the internet and laid the

foundation for DLA's Sales and

Reutilization, Transfer and

Donation pages.

• DLA Contingency Support Team

deployed to Hungary to

coordinate the delivery of needed

agency supplies and services to

U.S. military units deployed in

Bosnia and other NATO forces.

THIS YEAR IN HISTORY

1993

• First "cash and carry" tent sale

held at DRMO Belvoir, Fort

Belvoir, Virginia.

• DAISY fully deployed as the last

two DRMOs added their

inventory, providing disposal

specialists with accurate,

real-time information on all

property in the disposition

process.

• DLA’s Humanitarian Assistance

Program sets all-time record at

$227.3 million from property

generated mainly from base

closures in Europe. Several

complete hospitals went to

communities in the former

Soviet Union.

• The 1993 Base Realignment and

Closure Commission created an

abundance of excess and

surplus property.

“It’s a DRMO in a box. We took a 40-foot truck, reutilized 

of course, packed it full of supplies needed to set up a 

DRMO operation, and sent it off to Hungary.” 

-Lt. Col Tom Childress, Deputy commander of DRMR-E
THIS YEAR IN HISTORY

1996

• DRMS National Sales Office in

Memphis, Tennessee, closed.

National Sales centralized in

Battle Creek, Michigan.

• DRMS-P was the first

government contracting activity

to earn the International Standard

Organization 9002 certificate.

• Online bidding for DRMS sales

became possible.

1997

• The 1997 National Defense

Authorization Act created the

Law Enforcement Support

Office, Section 1033.

• DRMS helped DLA

Headquarters, the joint staff and

Joint Forces Command write a

joint disposal operations

doctrine.

1998

• Disposal Remediation Team

developed to ensure worldwide

disposal services in the event of

natural disasters and military

contingency operations.

• Adoption of digital photography

increased surplus item imagery

collection.

• DRMO site at China Lake,

California, closed after 30 years.

The last site chief was Bill

Guiliami.

• The Interrogative Information

Requirement System (IRIS) was

discontinued. The automated

capabilities of the web became

faster, easier to use and less

costly than IRIS.

1999

• DRMS awarded its first

Commercial Venture

contract, an agreement between

government and private industry

to sell surplus DOD property.

• The General Services

Administration presented its

first Miles Romney Achievement

Award for Innovation in

Personal Property to DRMS. The

DRMS team – Scott Riddle, Bob

Fedyski, Julia Karns, Rod

Moskun, Michael Garrahan,

Mary Smith, and Mark Vincent –

was recognized for developing a

web page that allowed DRMS to

manage its inventory more

effectively, maximize reuse of

excess property and make excess

property the first source of

supply for DOD. The web page

included DRMS’ entire

worldwide property inventory.

• DRMS was selected as one of

five national finalists for the

Ford Foundation’s “Innovations

in American Government

Award.”

• The DRMS regional offices in

Ogden and Columbus were

closed and the regional office in

Wiesbaden was moved to

Kaiserslautern, Germany.

• Centralized demand was

instituted. DRMO Warner

Robins was the first centralized

site to open.
2000

• All Defense Department

cataloging consolidated in

Battle Creek, Michigan.

• Centralized demilitarization

adopted, web-based property

auctions proved successful, and

first scrap pilot contract was

awarded to private industry.

2002

• The online Electronic Turn-In

Document was implemented at

disposal sites worldwide,

allowing customers to save time

by avoiding handwritten or

typed documentation.

• DRMS centralized commands to

Battle Creek, Michigan, and

closed the regional office in

Memphis, Tennessee, and

DRMS international

headquarters in Wiesbaden,

Germany.

• The first two emergency

essential positions were

established and stationed at

Mainz Kastel, Germany, to

support efforts in Bosnia and

Kosovo.

2004

• The technical management of

DRMS’ third-party Superfund

sites was transferred from

DRMS to DLA Enterprise

Support. Both agencies

co-located in Battle Creek,

Michigan.

THIS YEAR IN HISTORY

2001

• Terrorists attacked the U.S.

Hijackers rammed jetliners into

twin towers of New York City's

World Trade Center and the

Pentagon. A fourth hijacked

plane crashed 80 miles outside of

Pittsburgh. Toll of dead and

injured in thousands. Within

days, Islamic militant Osama bin

Laden and the al-Qaeda terrorist

network were identified as

the parties behind the attacks.

2003

• DRMS supported coalition

warfighters during the

invasion of Iraq, where Saddam

Hussein was eventually captured,

and a new Iraqi constitution was

approved by voters.

2005

• The first permanent disposal site

in Afghanistan opened at

Bagram Air Base.

• DRMS awarded its first Scrap

Venture contract to sell scrap

from the local DRMOs in the

U.S.

• Hurricane Katrina made landfall

on Florida and Louisiana as a

Category 5 hurricane, causing

catastrophic damage, particularly

in the city of New Orleans and

the surrounding areas, resulting

in more than 1,200 deaths.

DRMS provided humanitarian

support.
THIS YEAR IN HISTORY

2006

• Paul Peters took the helm of

DRMS as direction transferred

from military to civilian Senior

Executive Service leadership.

• The role of Disposal Service

Representative was born,

creating the most visible,

forward-facing customer

interaction of any job in the

organization.

• A-76 efforts separated the

warehouse functions at field

sites.

• Established as “Most Effective

Organization” and “Remaining

Government Organization.”

• Transportation Office established

in Battle Creek, Michigan, to

support impacted customer base.

2008

• Twila C. Gonzales served as the

first female director for DLA

Disposition Services. In 2013,

she went on to serve as the

deputy commander for DLA

Distribution.

• The Law Enforcement Support

Office was established,

transferring to DRMS from

agency headquarters.

2009

• Years after the F-14 “Tomcat”

was retired, DRMS finished

demilitarizing the famous fighter

jet’s parts.

2011

• In Iraq, the United States moved

from a military-led mission to a

civilian-led effort. The

Department of State took over

the disposal mission in Iraq.

2012

• DAISY retired

and RBI was

introduced,

fully deploying

in 2013.

• Hurricane Sandy was the

deadliest and most destructive

hurricane in 2012. It affected 24

states and all the Eastern

Seaboard, causing an estimated

$70.2 billion in damages and 147

deaths. DLA Disposition

Services provided humanitarian

support.

2007

• DRMS employees and

contractors in the continental

United States began using their

Common Access Card to log on

to the “LAN” or local area

network.

2010

DEFENSE REUTILIZATION AND MARKETING SERVICE

DEFENSE 

LOGISTICS

AGENCY

Disposition Services

WE ARE DLA
• After serving for seven months

as the interim director, U.S. Air

Force Col Michael Cannon

transitioned from military leader

of DLA Disposition Services to

civilian Senior Executive

Service leader of the

organization.

• The fourth Commercial Venture

contract for private industry to

sell surplus DOD property was

awarded and split into two

functions: rolling stock

(usable equipment and vehicles)

and non-rolling stock (scrap:

ferrous, non-ferrous, and non-

 metallic material). 

• DLA Disposition Services at

Afghanistan achieved a disposal

milestone of 1,023,488,84

accumulated pounds of scrap

received since 2006.

2013

• The first DLA Disposition

Services safety specialists

deployed to southwest Asia.

Safety monitors have remained

in U.S. Central Command area of

operations since then, identifying

and eliminating risk to property

disposal personnel and

promoting awareness of the

importance safety plays in

contingency operations.

2015

• At Bagram Airfield,

Afghanistan, Krissie Davis and

Robert Delong were wounded in

an indirect fire attack on the

morning of June 8.

• After a nearly 16-year hiatus, the

first ship recycling sale was

awarded for $52,000 and

included six ships: ex-USS

Forrest Sherman, ex-USS Sides,

ex-USS Jarrett, ex-USS George

Phillips, ex-USS Thomas Gates

and ex-USS Doyle.

• A reverse auction helped award a

long-term $8.2 million hazardous

waste disposal contract that

showed how DLA Disposition

Services supports Better Buying

Power by promoting competition

and improving tradecraft in

acquisition through increased

small business participation. The

contract provided disposal of a

variety of hazardous wastes for

Defense Department customers

around Jacksonville, Florida. It

also provided services such as

testing and the handling of

retrograded waste from Puerto

Rico.

THIS YEAR IN HISTORY

2014

• In support of the U.S. Army

divestiture of military vehicles,

DLA Disposition Services

implemented the first off-site

Demilitarization as Condition of

Sale for vehicles in the Crane,

Indiana, area. Under this sale,

over 2,100 vehicles were

processed with revenue

exceeding $260,000. By

including transportation with

drain and purge requirements,

DLA realized a cost avoidance of

over $1 million. This

groundbreaking sales method

paved the way for six additional

sales at other locations.
THIS YEAR IN HISTORY

2016

• DLA Director Air Force Lt. Gen.

Andy Busch observed divestiture

of property to DLA Distribution

and DLA Disposition Services

during a visit to Fort Bliss, Texas,

- This was one of the first sites to

start the process as the Army

turned in unneeded vehicles.

Taking advantage of streamlining

DLA Disposition Services,

personnel expeditated the process

to make it quicker and easier for

individual soldiers as they

process more than two million

pieces of equipment across

numerous installations.

2018

• DLA Disposition Services held

a Material Handling Equipment

Rodeo in Battle Creek,

Michigan, focused on

improving safety.

• The first DLA Agency

Management Review was

conducted at DLA Disposition

Services.

• The federal government shut

down for 35 days. It was the

longest U.S. government

2019

• “Excess to Disposal” business

process approved, marking the

first change in the command

business cycle in 12 years.

• DLA Disposition Services ended

a period of partially combined

operations where it shared

co-located personnel and

equipment with DLA

Distribution. Meanwhile, DLA

Disposition Services HQ

realignment implemented to

better serve field sites.

2020

• Army Lt. Col. Ryan Mendanhall,

Officer in Charge for DLA

Disposition Services –

Afghanistan, was the last

military member to leave the

country as the DLA

workforce transitioned to civilian

only as part of a reduction of

U.S. military forces.

• Excess medical property worth

more than $2.5 million was

provided to the military services

to fight COVID-19. Another

$5.2 million in equipment was

provided to U.S. states, and $6.7

million went to the U.S. Agency

for International Development.

• Equipment removed from

Afghanistan’s Forward

Operating Base Fenty and

shipped to Bagram Airfield.

2017

• An improved world market on

scrap sales and sufficient

customer funding allowed DLA

Disposition Services to award a

service contract to pursue

removal of millions of pounds of

scrap at remote Kwajalein Atoll

in the Pacific Ocean.

• The DLA Disposition Services

Network Optimization General

Order was approved.

2021

• The U.S. withdrew its

remaining troops to end the

20-year conflict. Over the

years, DLA Disposition

Services disposed of more than

1.4 billion pounds of scrap

prior to discontinuing support

operations there in June.
IN MEMORY OF...

Krissie Davis joined the Defense Logistics Agency in 1993 as a property disposal specialist 

at DLA Disposition Services in Anniston, Alabama, where she supported disposal operations 

around the globe. Davis deployed with the agency in 2010 and 2015.

On June 8, Davis and Rob DeLong, her “battle buddy” and fellow DLA Disposition Services 

employee, were heading to the dining facility on Bagram Airfield around 5:30 a.m. when a 

105-mm rocket slammed into their pickup.

Davis suffered injuries to her lower extremities that were too severe for basic first aid. When 

the ambulance arrived, DeLong crawled in behind Davis and held her hand on the bumpy 

ride to the hospital, listening as she talked about her husband, daughter and grandchildren.

Davis died during surgery. At 54, she became the first DLA Disposition Services civilian lost to combat-related injuries. 

It was her second deployment.

On Sept. 20, 2016, she was inducted into the DLA Hall of Fame and 

on June 3, 2021, Camp Atterbury dedicated an expeditionary training 

facility in her honor.

Davis’ three-decade federal service included roles with the Bureau of 

Prisons, Department of the Army, and DLA. Davis’ deployments 

included Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, and 

Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.

Mr. Robert G. DeLong

Awarded the Defense of Freedom 

Medal for wounds received in service to 

our nation on June 8, 2015, at Bagram 

Airfield, Afghanistan, while assigned to 

DLA Disposition Services. Mr. DeLong 

was injured during an early morning 

indirect fire attack. 

PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM

“The DLA Disposition Services Wall of Honor commemorates the extraordinary sacrifices of the men and women 

who were killed or wounded as a result of enemy action. The purpose of the Wall of Honor is to collect, preserve 

and share the names, dates and stories of those DLA Disposition Services employees who have received either the 

Defense of Freedom Medal or the Purple Heart for their service.”

Ms. Krissie K. Davis

Awarded the Defense of Freedom 

Medal for wounds received in service 

to our nation on June 8, 2015, at 

Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, while 

assigned to DLA Disposition Services. 

Ms. Davis subsequently succumbed to 

her injuries sustained during the early 

morning indirect fire attack. 

Stephen Byus joined DLA Land and Maritime as an intern in 2008 and worked his way up to GS-12 by the time he 

deployed to Afghanistan in 2014. He had also served on a DLA Disposition Services Expeditionary Disposal Remediation 

Team, part of the DLA Joint Reserve Force, since 2002, first as an enlisted sailor, then as a Navy officer. On Sept. 16, 

2014, his two-vehicle convoy, carrying personnel to downtown Kabul to brief the Afghan Minister of Defense for 

Logistics, was attacked. He became the first DLA employee killed in the war. He was 39.

Byus was inducted into the DLA Hall of Fame during a ceremony at McNamara Headquarters Complex, Fort Belvoir, 

Virginia, July 14, 2015.

Clark Field served as a disposal service representative at the Camp Pendleton property disposal site in 

California. He lost his life Nov. 10, 2015, when a loose fire suppression bottle accidentally discharged 

during a customer vehicle turn in.
Nathan’s hot dog stand 

turned in to field site in 

San Antonio, Texas.

A Minuteman III 

static display for the 

USAF Academy 

was disposed of by 

DLA Disposition 

Services contract 

personnel.

Since its inception in 1972, Defense Logistics Agency 

Disposition Services has received and processed 

millions of excess Department of Defense personal 

property items.

Most of these items are within the norms of 

end-of-lifecycle logistics for the nation’s armed forces. 

However, some examples of property turned in to DLA 

Disposition Services stand out among the rest and serve 

to highlight the unique capabilities of disposal 

logisticians.

After the Second World War, the War Assets 

Administration - a forerunner to DLA Disposition 

Services - received over 17,000 pigeons from the U.S. 

Army Signal Corps. These former message couriers 

were housed on various Army installations until they 

were offered for sale to the general public for $2.50 a 

bird. After nearly a year of sales, approximately 14,000 

pigeons remained, prompting a change in tactics. The 

WAA announced free birds to anyone sending in a 

self-addressed crate, which quickly resulted in the 

remaining avians being rehomed.

American flag with

46 stars turned in to

the field site at Joint 

Base Lewis-McChord, 

Washington. The number 

of stars on the flag dates 

the age between 109 to 

114 years old.

FROM ANIMALS TO EQUIPMENT, DLA DISPOSITION SERVICES HAS PROCESSED IT ALL

Living horses are not the only equines received by DLA 

Disposition Services. Taxidermied specimen have been turned 

in as well. When the Ordnance Museum at Rock Island 

Arsenal opened in 1905, it inherited exhibits created for the 

1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. These exhibits were curated by 

the Smithsonian on behalf of the U.S. government and 

included several taxidermied horses. The animals were 

displayed at the Rock Island Ordnance Museum for over 100 

years. As the horses deteriorated in condition, some of the 

taxidermied specimen were brought to DLA Disposition 

Services for disposal.

As the organization looks to the future, DLA Disposition 

Services remains committed to supporting its customers’ 

diverse disposal requirements, whether tasked with the 

disposal of animals, armaments or aircraft – and everything in 

between.
Other former armaments received by disposal 

specialists include inert intercontinental ballistic 

missiles. DLA Disposition Services has accepted 

several Minuteman III ICBMs that once served 

as gate guards or static displays across various 

military installations. For example, in 2008, the 

U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs 

determined that its Minuteman III static display 

near the Cadet Field House required disposition. 

General deterioration of the display, coupled with 

the presence of asbestos-containing materials, 

made it unsafe for continued exhibition and it 

was turned in to DLA.

Another reutilization success story involved a 

horse turned in to DLA. “Tommy” was part of 

the caisson section at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, 

responsible for performing military funerals. 

“Tommy” was too short for the purposes of the 

unit, and was turned in. A month after being 

received in place, the Yuma County Sheriff 

Department in Arizona reutilized Tommy for 

mounted patrol duty.

Similarly, turn-in specialists were tasked with the 

disposal of a 16-inch barrel from a WW2-era 

Iowa-class battleship. For the uninitiated, each 

barrel from the BL 16-inch Mk I naval gun is 68 

feet long and weighs 13 tons. Moving the barrel 

required a host of specialized equipment, from a 

sling-attached crane for loading the barrel to a 

heavy-lift trailer for transport.

Slightly larger in stature than carrier pigeons and 

requiring a more substantial, coordinated effort 

was the disposal of six naval vessels. In 2014, 

DLA Disposition Services awarded a contract for 

the destruction and scrapping of six Navy ships, 

including the 418-foot USS Forrest Sherman and 

567-foot USS Thomas S. Gates. These vessels

were cut apart by contractors in a joint effort

between the Navy and DLA Disposition Services

focused on cost avoidance. Contractors

remediated hazardous waste and materials during

the months-long methodical deconstruction of

each vessel. The partnership was successful and

additional joint efforts continue to take place

today.

“Tommy” is displayed with

his new owners during a

public event.

Pigeons from the US Army 

Signal Corps fly to their 

destination.

300 foot water barrier, 

weighing over 100K 

pounds with an estimated 

original acquisition value 

of $1.24 million, turned 

in to the field site in 

Norfolk, Virginia.

On October 1, 1968, former 

presidential yacht Sequoia’s 

status was changed from

“In Commission” to

“In Service,” officially 

changing her designation from 

USS SEQUOIA to “The Yacht 

Sequoia.” Following the 

change, she was refitted and 

once again, designated as a 

Presidential Yacht. She has 

subsequently served 

Presidents Johnson, Nixon, 

and Ford. 

 U.S. Army retired

six locomotives and turned 

in to DLA Disposition 

Services in 2017. 

Items turned in to DLA 

Disposition Services were 

gifted to approximately 500 

veterans in Battle Creek, 

Michigan, during a 

VA Medical Center Veterans 

Day event in 2016. 
CLASS OF ETHRIDGE

(EDDIE)

ASKEW

JOHN 

BANKS

RICHARD W.

SPITTLES 

GAIL M.

RAYMAN 

RODNEY O. 

EFTERFIELD 

JOSEPH C.

LAROCK

NICER

HASSAN

The Disposition Services Hall of Fame is an elite 

group of former employees who were recognized 

by their peers for outstanding work 

achievements that contributed to the overall 

success of the Agency’s mission operations.

1992
GERALD A.

KILPATRICK

JAMES W.

EGGENBERGER 

LEONARD E.

EDWARDS 

BARBARA S.

BARNETT

FRED

HINKLEY

RICHARD

URBAN

MARY C.

LOGAN 

CLASS OF

1993

CLASS OF

1994

“As we face the future, we must remember 

that our most important assets are not new 

buildings or equipment – they are people.”

-Brig. Gen. Henry Skeen
OTIS

DENHAM

MARILYN J.

TAYLOR

GEORGE M.

JONAS 

YVONNE G, 

BRANSOM

MARMA D.

BEGLEY

THOMAS I.

WOOLSEY

CLASS OF

1995

CLASS OF

1997

“Created during a period when every individual involved in the disposal program was considered a 

‘handle of junk,’ DPDS has gained, through the professionalism of its employees, 

the reputation as an organization that does its job and does it well.” 

-Brig. Gen. Henry Skeen
JERRY J.

DAY

JOEL

DAVIS

CHRISTIAN

LOUDOUX

CHARLES J. 

COLEMAN

JAMES E.

WALTON

ERNEST T.

BERTAGNOLI

LAVONA E.

 REAMKEL 

CLASS OF

1999 CHARLES R.

BETHUNE, JR.

CLASS OF

1998
JACK

BECHTOL

MICHAEL J.

MURRAY

DAN

BALL

The last couple of years have been marked with change. We’ve seen organization changes, 

name changes, policy changes and procedural changes. What hasn’t changed? 

The answer is simple – our mission. ” 

– Col. Raymond M. Agnor, Jr. 

“I know that the backbone of any successful 

organization is and always will remain the 

day-to-day achievements accomplished by 

each employee.”

– Brig. Gen. Henry Skeen

JUDY E.

TANTLINGER

CLASS OF

2000

SALLY

BROWN

CLASS OF

2001
2006

SUSAN

FARLEY 

KIM

PALMER

ROBERT

MOFFIT

LILINOE M.

MIYAMOTO

GLORIA J.

ALLRED

CLASS OF

2002

SHIRLEY A.

FULLER

“From a small nucleus of about 300 people 

on that day [Sept. 12, 1972], DPDS has grown 

into one of the major DLA Commands.”

– Vice Adm. E.A. Grinstead

HORST

CONRADI

CLASS OF

2003
EDWARD

FARRELL

THOMAS

TRENT

LEON “BUTCH” J.

BONNER

ROBERT G.

BENSON

CLASS OF

2004

RONALD E.

GREGG

GORDON H.

PEACOCK

“Whatever the future holds, I am sure DPDS 

and its employees will handle the situation as 

well as they have handled the events of the 

past ten years.”

– Vice Adm. E.A. Grinstead

“The success of DRMS can be attributed to 

the hard work and dedication of all 

employees, past and present.”

– Col. John Stewart

CLASS OF

2005
STANLEY L.

COLEMAN

DEAN

PROSSER

BRIG GEN ROBERT 

MANSFIELD, USAF

COLONEL

RAYMOND M. 

AGNOR, JR., USAF

ROSSANA

BANDMEHR

WALTER C. 

LAYNE

CLASS OF

2006

CLASS OF

2007

“I was looking over the 1956 “Code of Ethics of the Property Disposal Officer” I have in my office. 

At the top of the code is a crest that presents the basics of our business: conservation,

 redistribution, transfer, donatione, sales; rsting on loyalty and integrity. They are still the 

basics of our business today!”

– Col. Robert E. Mansfield, Jr. 
DAVID

STACEY

JAIME

RAMOS

STEVEN

BOWYER

NANCY

RHEAUME

NELSON

INMAN

CLASS OF

2008

CLASS OF

2009

“Every dollar we save for the Defense Department is another dollar that can be spent training and 

equipping American men and women in uniform. Our bottom line is simple: support the 

Warfighter. We are an organization with a proud history and a promising future.”

– Col. Robert E. Mansfield, Jr. 

“As our mission continues to grow, 

we are developing new and innovative 

ways to meet that challenge.”

– Col. John Stewart

Class 

of

2009
KARL-HEINZ

KIRSCHBAUM

BARBARA A.

RITTER

LARRY 

WILLIAMS

DON

ANGELL

CLASS OF

2010

“As you well know, DRMS has undergone tremendous change in the last several years reinventing 

and reengineering the DoD disposal business. In doing so, you have led the way through DLA in 

applying new technology, best commercial business practices, innovation and business sense to 

improve performance, reduce costs and increase our value.”

– Capt. Richard H. Feierabend

“I am humbled and honored to be 

a part of such an amazing organization.” 

– Michael Cannon, SES

RICHARD

CRANDELL

CLASS OF

2011
MICHAEL J.

MALONE

THOMAS J. 

WALLENFANG

THOMAS P.

LEGERET

CLASS OF

2012

MARLENE K.

WEISHUHN

ROBERT

HIRSCHMAN

MARY P.

LEGERET

JOANNE

SCOTT

“Our employees, past and present, 

have overcome many obstacles and 

hurdles along the way.”

– Col. Robert E. Mansfield, Jr. 

CLASS OF

2013

Class 

of

2021
CLASS OF

2014 SUSAN

MALE-MURRAY

CLASS OF

PAUL 

MANK

DALE V.

BENNETT

THEODORE R.

PIXLEY

ROBERT D.

THOMPSON

From its inception in 1992, a Hall of Fame 

honored the upper echelon of DLA Disposition 

Services employees. In 2016, the Distinguished 

Alumni designation replaced the Hall, 

continuing a tradition of recognizing the 

command’s own for their outstanding 

contributions to federal service.

2016

“Personally, I find that history is very 

important. It is important to remember and 

recognize those events and people who laid 

the foundation for what we have today.” 

– Col. Robert E. Mansfield, Jr. 

Class 

of

2020

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI
JANIE M.

BROWN

SHERRY L.

LOW

DARRAN

DUNCAN

RODNEY

MOSKUN

CLASS OF

2018

CLASS OF

2019

REBA

HARRINGTON

JOEL A.

ZIMMER

CLASS OF

2020

“I know that the backbone of any successful 

organization is and always will remain the 

day-to-day achievements accomplished

by each employee.”

-Brig. Gen. Henry Skeen

‘Twas a fine fall day in September’72,

When DPDS began its business brand new.

The halls were humming like bees ‘round a hive, 

Cause every new rumor made each of us thrive.

As memories of DLSC melted rapidly away, 

We anxiously awaited the wonderful new way.

We heard of a family growing up in the field,

But little did we know what help they would 

yield.

As with each new relation, old baggage we bring,

Until the praises of the new things we finally sing.

Project PLUS was the method to interrogate, 

To find an asset beyond a DPDO’s gate.

There was Provisional Screening, if a customer 

was inclined, 

And happy were we, more property to find.

The flyers and brochures were a delight to 

produce, 

Always filled with the hope our inventory we’d 

reduce.

With red felt tips in hand the gang went crazy,

As they underlined SF-120 data no one ever was 

lazy.

Item descriptions were input through OCR 

machines, 

And language from the rejects was seldom 

obscene.

Now a JKQ became an XC1,

And XYZ could not be out done.

As the years rolled on and things made sense,

A change in the wind made many a nerve tense.

Through it all we could count on policies and 

plans, 

To revise and supersede with quiet demands.

Manpower and staffing became quite the rage,

With work years and manhours to set the stage.

Exception reporting gave some of us fits,

While SCCs and JONs really tested our wits.

Then one day came news of a new gal coming to 

the city,

Her name would be DAISY and she’d be pretty.

Our mission grew and our staff did some 

shrinking, 

Do more with less some folks were thinking.

The family in the field have received, counted and 

stored,

Many line items of property and seldom were 

bored.

Precious metals recovery was the right thing to do,

Extracting platinum, silver and gold residue.

Hazardous property management became a 

familiar ditty,

To think less of the environment would 

have been simply a pity. 

Through the 

By: David Fox, 

 DRMS Pioneer

eyes of pioneers