RICHMOND, VA –
Navy Rear Adm. Grafton Chase, director, Defense Logistics Agency Joint Reserve Force, met with DLA Aviation Commander Air Force Brig. Gen. David Sanford and members of the JRF in Richmond, Virginia, Feb. 8. The visit took place on a drill weekend inside the DLA Aviation Operations center on Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia.
Chase assumed the position of director in October 2019. This was his first time visiting the unit in Richmond and he thanked them for their contributions to the success of the unit.
Air Force Lt. Col. Rebecca Schultz is the joint team lead as well as the Air Force service lead for the JRF in Richmond.
She said the admiral’s visit went a long way in helping her understand his expectations moving forward.
“RDML Chase has a clear vision for us to integrate jointly within the JRF and, it was important for our joint service team to hear directly from their director what that means,” said Schultz. “From this visit, we were able to collaborate on our joint-teaming way forward and work with the directors in the MSC toward the best possible integration strategy,” she said.
During his visit, Chase also coined the following service members for their outstanding work:
- Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Leon Davis Jr
- Army Maj. Gregory Kirsch
- Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Barbara Bailey
- Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Saugat Pant
- Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Michael Vetreno
- Air Force Staff Sgt. Sabrina Cayetano
Defense Logistics Agency Joint Reserve Force is headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. According to its webpage, more than 650 reservists - soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines – are assigned to nearly every DLA organization across the United States, including Hawaii, and in Europe.
Led by Chase, its mission is to provide DLA with a trained, ready and available joint force for contingency operations, operational support, surge support and contingency planning. The unit’s objective is to develop highly skilled, multi-functional, joint logistics professionals who understand all aspects of DLA operations and customer service.
The 34-member DLA Joint Reserve Force unit in Richmond is made up of officers and enlisted members from all four branches of the U.S. military, with each having a service specific lead. Many within the military community refer to these types of integrated service units as “purple” units.