Philadelphia –
The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support bid farewell to two civilian employees during a retirement ceremony Nov. 25 in Philadelphia.
Sheila Taylor, from the Military Personnel office, retired after 36 years of service. Carolyn Dempsey, who worked in the Subsistence supply chain, retired after serving 31 years.
DLA Troop Support Commander Army Brig. Gen. Gavin Lawrence presided over the ceremony and congratulated the new retirees on their combined 67 years of service to the federal government.
“This is a historic day,” Lawrence said. “Not only because this is the first official ceremony we’re doing in the Command conference room in [the brand new] Building 45, but it’s also historic because we have been given the great fortune and honor of recognizing and saying farewell to two outstanding Americans that have served with the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support over a number of years.”
Lawrence presented Taylor and Dempsey with certificates of retirement, DLA Troop Support mementos, and Commander’s coins.
Taylor began her career in 1983 at the Defense Personnel Support Center, starting as a payroll clerk. She retired as a management assistant in the Military Personnel office. During her time with Troop Support, one of Taylor’s biggest accomplishments was changing the way the agency purchased paper products through small businesses.
“There’s so many people that have had an impact on my want and need to do the best job possible,” Taylor said. “You have played a role in my life, and it has changed for the better. I will always remember all of you.”
Dempsey worked in the private sector for 13 years before joining DLA Troop Support in January 1988 as an analyst in the Subsistence supply chain. She has been a food technologist in the supply chain for the last 30 years. One of her career highlights was consistently providing solutions to challenging food-based questions and issues.
“Thank you to everyone who has been there with me over the years: those that I just got to know, [and] those that are gone,” Dempsey said.