Dimensions

Defense Logistics AgencySept./Oct. 1998

DLA names first

members

to Hall of Fame
 September/October 1998 Dimensions 3

DLA: A work force of world

class professionals

by Lt. Gen. Henry T. Glisson

Director

Defense Logistics Agency

Based on the

continued achievements of our work

force...I know we

will continue to

have great role

models and leaders

to take us into the

21st century.

Not a day goes by that I am not

reminded of what a great work force

we have in DLA. Whether it’s supporting our Armed Forces in Bosnia or

creating new innovative business

practices, DLA’s work force has world

class leader status.

Everywhere you look throughout

the agency, people, programs, and

organizations are being recognized for

excellence. Just look at the past couple

of months: DoD submitted four DLA

organizations as its nominees in the

President’s Quality Award Program;

four DLA initiatives were selected as

“Hammer Award” recipients; the

Defense Logistics Information Service

Central Contractor Registry and the

Joint Electronic Commerce Program

Office’s DoD electronic mall were

cited by the Deputy Secretary of

Defense as two examples of Defense

Reform Initiative successes; two DLA

officers were selected as Acquisition

Commanders of the Year by the

Assistant Secretary of the Army

(RD&A); two of our Senior Executive

Service members were selected for

DoD Distinguished Service Awards

and most recently a DLA staff

officer received a special act award

for humanitarian support in response to Hurricane Georges

damage. These are just a few of the

many outstanding success stories I

see every day. There are others

highlighted in this issue and we’re

so very proud of them all.

This agency has also been

blessed with outstanding people

throughout its history. In an effort

to recognize those responsible for

our success, we recently established

the DLA Hall of Fame. Our initial

inductees span virtually the history of

our agency and represent the values,

ethos, dedication to duty and achievement we all strive to emulate. They

helped pave the road to the future and

gave us the great reputation, heritage

and traditions we enjoy today and

continue to build on. Our first five

inductees truly were the “best of the

best” and it was an honor to be able

to say thank you on behalf of a

grateful agency for their many

contributions to the nation.

From our most junior employees

to our senior leaders — our Agency

is filled with winners. I wish I could

cite everyone who has done so much

to make a difference in DLA. Based

on the achievements of this great

work force, I know we will continue

to have great role models and leaders

to take us into the 2lst century. Their

names will proudly join the ranks of

McNamara, Hudson, Gordon,

Kabeiseman, and Cassell someday.

Keep up the super work!

On a sad note, I know I speak for

everyone in DLA in expressing our

deepest sympathy to the Bradley

family on the recent death of Col.

Gary Bradley in Tunisia. Gary was a

great soldier, leader, friend, father and

husband whose love of country and

the Army inspired us all. His friendship and many contributions will not

be soon forgotten. We will miss him

in our ranks. I would ask that each of

us keep his family in our thoughts and

prayers.

Along with our many successes

we continue to have our daily challenges to tackle. Year 2000 (Y2K)

computer changes and information

assurance continue to be among our

top priorities in the coming months.

Our Corporate Information Office, in

coordination with the DLA Information Technology Management Team,

is orchestrating our compliance and

action plans. Much needs to be done

in a short period of time. Nothing is

more critical. I ask everyone to

ensure we complete all the tasks on

time. Our ability to support DoD

depends on it!

From the Director
4 Dimensions September/October 1998

The Defense Logistics Agency has

named the first five members for its

new Hall of Fame.

Army Lt. Gen. Henry T.

Glisson, DLA director, established

the Hall of Fame to honor the

people who have supported the

readiness and sustainability of the

Armed Forces since the agency’s

inception in 1961. The five inductees’ service spans nearly all of

DLA’s more than 37 years of

existence.

The induction ceremony was

held Sept. 11 in DLA’s main

auditorium. Various agency activities submitted nominations, which

were rated by a 14-person selection

board. The board was made up of

representatives from the various

DLA business areas and primary

level field activities.

The inductees are the following:

Army Lt. Gen. Andrew T.

McNamara,

Director, 1961-1964

William J. Cassell

Comptroller, 1973-1989

William V. Gordon

Executive director, Contract

Management, 1979-1994

Anthony W. Hudson

Staff director, Personnel,

1977-1992

Karl W. Kabeiseman

General Counsel, 1974-1994

Cassell, Gordon and Kabeiseman

are being inducted posthumously;

family members were on hand for the

ceremony.

“I’m gratified by the panel’s

selection of these five outstanding

public servants,” Glisson said. “Their

distinguished leadership set an example of excellence to which we can

all still aspire. Considered legends

around the agency, I think it fitting

that they are the inaugural inductees to

the new DLA Hall of Fame.”

During the ceremony, Glisson said

that today it felt great to be a part of

DLA. “This is a special day for special

people. Today we honor some great

Americans as well as great patriots.

We need to take pause and recognize

some of those people whose accomplishments make us what we are.

“We have a great legacy and our

inductees are largely responsible for

that. They set the standards and values

for DLA today. Day in and day out,

with no fanfare, under adverse conditions, they worked through it and met

the needs of our armed forces. When

they were needed, they were there.

Their actions inspired many people.

They left behind respect and admiration, and left a good organization to

build on. They left us every reason to

be proud.”

Glisson presented each inductee,

three represented by family members,

with a medal and plaque.

Cassell, who passed away in 1989,

was represented by his son-in-law,

Steve Crane.

“He was a very gentle gentleman,”

Crane said. “The essence of his

leadership spreads wide. The one

characteristic this agency benefits

from in its remembrance of Bill

Cassell is the simple characteristics of

integrity.”

He read a poem from M.H.

McGee. “Integrity is one of several

paths. It distinguishes itself from the

others because it is the right path and

the only one upon which you will

never get lost.”

Gordon passed away in 1994, soon

DLA opens Hall of Fame: First

director among inductees

(From left to right) Army Lt. Gen. Andrew T. McNamara, Kate Hartman, Defense

Logistics Agency Director Army Lt. Gen. Henry T. Glisson, Anthony Hudson, Ellen

Gordon and Steve Crane at awards ceremony.

News
 September/October 1998 Dimensions 5

after retiring from DLA. His daughter

Ellen Gordon accepted for him.

“My dad always said get to work

early, leave late and make the boss

look good,” Gordon said. “He used to

say there is no limit to what you can

accomplish if you don’t care who

takes the credit for it. My family and I

are thankful that you are honoring my

dad. It makes us feel good knowing

others are remembering our dad too.”

Hudson became a minister upon

retirement. He graduated from the

Wesley Theological Seminary and

American University in May 1995 and

is an ordained minister in the United

Church of Christ.

“I am humbled, honored and

grateful,” Hudson said. “I’m humbled

by the statue of the others being

inducted today. I was interviewed by

Bill Cassell, Bill Gordon and Karl

Kabeiseman in 1977. I was wearing a

beard and that was kind of unusual

then. Bill (Gordon) said to me, do you

always wear that beard. I said, do you

always wear that bow tie and brown

sweater. He said that it comes with the

package and I guess that the beard is

part of your package. We got along

great after that.

“I’m also grateful for the opportunity to have been here at DLA. I

always had a sense of purpose and was

respected. To the people who worked

for me, know this—where my name is,

your efforts are recognized.”

Kabeiseman’s daughter Kate

Hartman represented him. He passed

away in 1995.

“My family thanks you for this

honor,” Hartman said. “I am touched

that you chose to honor my father’s

memory. Dad would be embarrassed

by all of the fuss. He would say he just

did his job and did it the only way he

knew how. But he would be very

appreciative. He loved his job and was

passionate about DLA and its mission.

He was inspired by the people he

worked with.”

McNamara, referring to his

appointment at the first DLA director,

said, “You’d have thought they could

have found someone else. In those

early days, we produced a good,

substantial and necessary organization.

The future of an organization as well

staffed as this, I see nothing but

friendship, health and future and great

growth for all of you. I’m so pleased I

had a part in it.”

Army Lt. Gen. Andrew T. McNamara, director, 1961-1964

As its first director, McNamara created a joint

logistics agency from scratch. Under his skilled

leadership, the agency achieved significant savings

in time, money and personnel through rapid standardization of the items it managed. He honed his

skills and leadership traits through his service in

various theaters in World War II and as Quartermaster General, where he was responsible for providing

food and clothing for all the Armed Forces.

McNamara lives near Fort Belvoir and is a frequent

participant in DLA activities. He continues to

provide counsel to the agency’s senior leadership.

William J. Cassell, comptroller, 1973-1989

As comptroller, Cassell was DLA’s senior civilian. He was recognized for his leadership in developing and managing the agency’s operating budget that

exceeded $13 billion annually. Cassell conceived of

the idea to establish a central finance organization.

Under his personal direction, DLA primary level field

activities began transferring financing and accounting

operations and personnel to the DLA Finance Center

in 88. The concept was later adopted throughout DoD

and became the Defense Finance and Accounting

Service.

William V. Gordon, executive director, Contract Management,

1979-1994

During his service within DLA’s Contract Management Directorate, the predecessor to the Defense Contract

Management Command, Gordon was instrumental in

strengthening programs designed to monitor the cost

effectiveness of contractor purchasing system, contract

insurance and pension programs, and contractor automatic

data processing equipment programs. He aggressively

supported the establishment of formal cost monitoring

programs at major defense contract facilities and effectively guided the performance of in-depth contractor

overhead reviews conducted on select major systems

acquisitions.

Inductee Profiles
6 Dimensions September/October 1998

The origins of the Defense

Logistics Agency date back to World

War II when America’s huge military

buildup required the rapid procurement of vast amounts of munitions

and supplies. After the war, a presidential commission headed by former

President Herbert Hoover recommended centralizing management of

common military logistics support

and introducing uniform financial

management practices. Integrated

management of supplies and services

began in 1952 with the establishment

of a joint Army-Navy-Air Force

Support Center to control identification of supply items. For the first

time, all the military services bought,

stored, and issued items using a

common nomenclature. DoD and the

services defined the materiel that

would be managed on an integrated

basis as “consumables,” meaning

supplies that are not repairable or are

consumed in normal use. Consumable items, also called commodities,

were assigned to one military service

to manage for all the services.

In the mid 1950s, commodity

manager agencies (called “single

managers”) were established to buy,

store and issue supplies, manage

inventories and forecast requirements. The Army managed food and

clothing; the Navy managed medical

supplies, petroleum and industrial

parts; and the Air Force managed

electronic items. In each category, the

single manager was able to reduce its

investment by centralizing wholesale

stocks and simplify the supply

process by persuading the services

to adopt the same standard items.

The single manager concept,

though successful, did not provide

the uniform procedures recommended by the Hoover Commission.

Each single manager operated under

the procedures of its parent service,

and customers had to use as many

sets of procedures as there were

commodity managers. In 1961,

Secretary of Defense Robert

McNamara ordered that the single

manager agencies be consolidated

into one agency. The Defense

Supply Agency was established on

Oct. 1, 1961, and began operations

on Jan. 1, 1962. Eight singlemanager agencies became DSA

supply centers.

In 1965, DoD consolidated most

of the contract administration

activities of the military services to

avoid duplication of effort and

provide uniform procedures in

administering contracts. Officials

established the Defense Contract

Administration Services within DSA

to manage the consolidated functions. The agency’s new contract

administration mission gave it

responsibility for the performance of

most defense contractors.

The agency’s responsibilities

extended overseas when it assumed

responsibility for defense overseas

property disposal operations and

worldwide procurement, management, and distribution of coal and

Anthony W. Hudson, staff direc- History of the Defense Logistics Agency

tor, Personnel, 1977-1992

As staff

director for

Personnel,

Hudson was

personally

instrumental in

developing a

more collaborative relationship

with the agencywide labor

organization and was the chief architect of the Master Labor Agreement

covering most DLA employees. The

negotiation of the first agency-wide

collective bargaining agreement

represented a milestone in DLA’s

history. Hudson was also known for

his aggressive application of affirmative action concepts and provided the

leadership needed to create the first

Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program.

Karl W. Kabeiseman, general

counsel, 1974-1994

As general

counsel,

Kabeiseman

helped lead the

first major

reorganization of

DLA in its

history. In the

1980s, he was

instrumental in

developing the

model Fraud

Program, which

had a wide-ranging impact on contractor integrity programs throughout

DoD. He also piloted the concept of

special fraud remedies units. In

addition, Kabeiseman implemented an

ethics program and effective enforcement process that are still in use.

During his career, he encouraged all

DLA lawyers to be vigorous advocates

for their clients, to serve as the conscience of the agency and to act

responsibly as public officials.
 September/October 1998 Dimensions 7

bulk petroleum products (1972) and worldwide management of food items for troop feeding and in support of

commissaries (1973).

In recognition of 16 years of growth and expanded

responsibilities, on Jan. 1, 1977, officials changed the

name of the Defense Supply Agency to the Defense

Logistics Agency (DLA). The Goldwater-Nichols Act of

1986 identified DLA as a combat support agency.

In 1988, the agency assumed management of the

nation’s stockpile of strategic materials from the General

Services Administration. Soon after, DLA established the

Defense National Stockpile Center as a primary level

field activity.

In 1990, DoD directed that virtually all contract

administration functions be consolidated within DLA. In

response, the agency established the Defense Contract

Management Command, absorbing its Defense Contract

Administration Services into the new command.

Throughout the 1990s the agency continued its effort

to eliminate managerial and stockage duplication, reducing overhead costs. In April 1990, DoD directed that all

the distribution depots of the military services and DLA

be consolidated into a single, unified materiel distribution

system to reduce overhead and costs and designated DLA

to manage it.

The consolidation began in October 1990 and was

completed March 16, 1992.

The Base Realignment and Closure process, instituted

in 1993, significantly affected the way the agency organized for its contract administration and supply distribution missions. Officials merged, realigned or closed

several DLA primary level field activities. Also in response to BRAC, officials merged the former Defense

Construction Supply Center Columbus, Ohio, and the

former Defense Electronic Supply Center, Dayton, Ohio,

to form the Defense Supply Center Columbus. In 1995,

the DLA headquarters and the Defense Fuel Supply

Center (renamed Defense Energy Support Center in

January 1998) moved from Cameron Station in Alexandria, Va., to Fort Belvoir, Va.

DLA to open museum

The Defense Logistics Agency will

open a new museum dedicated to the

agency’s 37-year history.

Construction of the DLA exhibit

room, located on the second floor,

overlooking the main entrance, in

room 2501 will be completed at the

end of October. The room, a converted

conference room, will be open to

employees and visitors and contain

various artifacts and exhibits unique to

DLA.

“Proud of our past,” the overall

theme of the room, will be displayed

on the far wall. An original Defense

Supply Agency emblem, the original

name for DLA, will be prominently

displayed under the sign.

“The history of this agency is a

great one,” DLA Director Army Lt.

Gen. Henry T. Glisson said. “DLA has

grown over the years and taken on

many new missions. This museum

will highlight many of those great

initiatives. We can be proud of our

past and look forward to a bright

future.”

According to DLA Historian Dr.

Janet A. McDonnell, other exhibits

currently under consideration are “The

Early Years of DLA,” “Feeding

Soldiers” and “Flag Making, ”

“The Early Years of DLA” will

highlight the creation and formation

of the DSA and possibly include the

following items:

✔ DoD Annual Report for FY 61

✔ July-August 1962 issue of DSA’s

publication The Review

✔ Original 1963 memorandum from

the Acting Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of Defense

to Gordon Harris designating Oct.

1, 1961 as DSA’s birthday

✔ Photographs from 1961

✔ DSA medallion

“Feeding the Soldiers” exhibit

will trace the evolution of military

subsistance from the Revolutionary

War to the present. The exhibit will

illustrate the growing complexity of

feeding soldiers and highlight the vast

improvements that have been made.

The exhibit will include the following:

✔ Revolutionary War items, such as

a flask, knife and fork

✔ Civil War items, such as bag of

beans, hard tack and canteen

✔ World War II items, such as a

mess kit

✔ Vietnam War items

✔ Persian Gulf War items such as

Meals-Ready-to-Eat

“The Flag Making” exhibit will

highlight the design and embroidery

of military flags by DLA’s Defense

Supply Center Philadelphia. It will

include:

✔ Presidential Design Flag

✔ Photographs of the history of flag

making

✔ Article from the DSA News May

18, 1973

In the future, exhibits from the

Primary Level Field Activities may be

displayed, according to McDonnell.

If anyone has artifacts they would

like to donate to the museum, please

contact McDonnell at DSN 427-5247

or (703) 767-5247.