DLA Troop Support salutes Simons and Diaz for 76 years of warfighter service

The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support celebrated the retirement of two longtime civil servants this month, honoring Gloria Simons and William “Bill” Diaz for a combined 76 years of federal service at a ceremony led by Army Brig. Gen. Sean Kelly before colleagues, service members and family. “As commander, I have many responsibilities each week. Strategic briefings, operational reviews and logistical planning,” Kelly said. “But there is no duty I perform in this uniform, and no honor I hold higher, than standing at this podium to preside over the retirement of individuals who have given their entire lives to the service of our nation.”

DLA Troop Support manages more than $25 billion in annual support across four supply chains—Subsistence, Clothing and Textiles, Medical, and Construction and Equipment—providing around-the-clock readiness for forces in garrison, training and combat. “When Americans look at our military, they see the tip of the spear: The fighter jets screaming across the sky, the Soldiers advancing in formation, the Naval vessels patrolling distant seas,” Kelly said. “But as anyone who has ever worn the uniform will tell you, the tip of the spear cannot strike without the immense strength, weight and resolve driving it forward from behind. That driving force is the Defense Logistics Agency and the dedicated people here at Troop Support.”

Simons, a strategic sourcing specialist in the Clothing and Textiles supply chain, began her career Oct. 2, 1985, as a supply clerk at Norfolk Naval Air Station, Virginia. Over four decades, she served across DLA Troop Support Subsistence, DLA Energy at Fort Belvoir, the Defense Commissary Agency and Clothing and Textiles, including 18 years ensuring fresh provisions reached deployed personnel. She later led the capitalization of bulk fuel at military supply points in Iraq and Kuwait while at DLA Energy and, upon returning to Troop Support, served as contracting officer representative for the 3PL prime vendor program in Clothing and Textiles, managing the initial clothing issue for recruits and aligning industrial base readiness with recruitment pipelines. “Throughout her career, whenever there was a complex supply chain challenge, Gloria was a steady hand on the wheel,” Kelly noted, highlighting her 18 years in Subsistence keeping fresh provisions flowing to deployed personnel. “When a Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine, Guardian, or Coastguardsman sits down to a fresh, nutritious meal in the mess deck halfway around the world, they don’t know Gloria by name, but she was the heartbeat behind that delivery.”

Reflecting on her service, Simons credited those in uniform for inspiring her work. “It has been an absolute privilege standing behind the men and women who are diligently protecting and serving our country and our freedom,” Simons said. “And so I say thank you to all who serve for allowing me to be part of this vital mission.” She marked the occasion alongside family members, including her mother, aunt and cousin.

Diaz’s 35-year federal career began Aug. 2, 1991, following his service as an Air Force Reserve senior noncommissioned officer with the 913th Airlift Wing. At DLA Troop Support Subsistence, he earned a reputation for empathetic, rapid problem-solving to keep food service operations steady for forward-deployed forces. “If you ever want a living definition of what supporting the warfighter means, look at Bill,” Kelly said. “Bill didn’t just support the warfighter from an office desk. He lived it. He understood the flight line, he understood deployments, he played football on intramural teams across Europe and rumor has it, in his younger days, he was an accomplished boxer with a mean left hook.” Kelly also recounted how Diaz defused a tense customer call by switching to Spanish: “When a frustrated customer called in with supply line issues, Bill didn’t hide behind email, he picked up the telephone,” Kelly said, recounting an occasion when Diaz defused a tense customer conflict by switching to fluent Spanish. “Within minutes, the temperature dropped, the barrier dissolved and the problem was solved. That is who Bill is.”

During his military tenure, Diaz served in the Air Force Honor Guard, and his likeness is among the bronze figures at the United States Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. Addressing the audience, he thanked the colleagues and supervisors who shaped his career and emphasized the agency–warfighter connection. “I’m not a man of a lot of words, and I do more action than words,” Diaz said. “From the beginning, when I first got here, I was a young man just learning the ropes at DLA. And through the journey, I’ve met a lot of good people, a lot of good supervisors, a lot of supervision that really helped me a lot. If it wasn’t for the DLA people, the Soldiers would suffer. And that is close to my heart because I was a Soldier myself.”

Diaz celebrated with his wife, brother and one of his two daughters. Kelly thanked both families for their support through mobilizations, drill weekends and demanding civilian assignments. “Public service is a shared sacrifice. The long hours, the late nights, the times when mission readiness took them away from home,” Kelly said to both families. “Our military owes each of you a profound debt of gratitude. Thank you for sharing Gloria and Bill with us.”

Kelly closed by underscoring the centrality of dependable logistics to national defense and offered a final tribute to the retirees. “Gloria, Bill: as you take off the badge and step into a well-deserved retirement, know that your legacies remain,” Kelly said. “You have finished your course. You have kept the faith. You have bolstered the readiness of the greatest armed forces on earth.”