Richmond, Va. –
For his dedicated service and contributions to Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Benjamin “Gil” Perkins, former DLA Aviation chief counsel was inducted into the 2018 DLA Aviation Hall of Fame Sept. 27. Perkins retired in 2015 after 34 years of service.
The ceremony was held Thursday afternoon in the Frank B. Lotts Conference Center on Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia. DLA Aviation Commander Air Force Brig. Gen. Linda Hurry opened the ceremony, making note of Perkins’s many contributions during his time at DSCR. “There is no question that Gil’s dedication to this team helped shape this center, touching the lives of many people throughout our center, from the time he started here in March 1981 until his retirement in October 2015, and beyond,” Hurry said.
Perkins’s tenure at DSCR and DLA Aviation began with services as a law clerk while was still attending the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond. He then served as an attorney-advisor at DSCR, and later in a rotational assignment as business manager for the Packaged Petroleum, Chemicals, Gases and Rings, Shims & Spacers Product Center — a $120 million venture. In 2006, he was promoted to chief counsel for DLA Aviation at DSCR, a position he held until retirement.
Julia Roquemore, Aviation and Airframes division chief, Supplier Operations Commodities Directorate, DLA Aviation and Brenda Brunner, supervisory paralegal specialist, DLA Counsel-Aviation, nominated Perkins.
Roquemore said the reason she nominated Perkins was because he cared more than anyone. “He was a champion of improving the quality of life for all DLA Aviation employees,” said Roquemore. “He took time to listen to people. He was a true champion of DLA Aviation.”
Perkins’s accomplishments while at DSCR include leading the office to establish and create a workload-tracking and case management database that served as the model for the DLA Counsel enterprise wide Automated Workflow and Reporting System, better known as AWARS.
“Gil’s legacy has impacted our mission, set examples for employees and introduced enduring benefits to the organization,” Hurry said. “He called DLA his dream job that fell right in with two of his life goals: serving people and supporting his country.”
The event was attended by his wife, Susan, who also worked at DLA Aviation and retired shortly before her husband after 30 years of service. One of Perkins’s four daughters—Lauren Freeman, also attended, as well as Perkins’s father, Hugh, and his sister Mary Perkins.
The DLA Aviation Hall of Fame recognizes former civilian and military team members who have made significant and lasting contributions to the agency and who represent core DLA values and ideals. Perkins is the 36th inductee into the Hall of Fame.
Perkins said, “Don’t just go to work, go to serve, to appreciate the privilege we’ve been given, to accept the responsibility that goes with the privilege and to continue to do great things.”