RICHMOND, Va –
The holiday season kicked off on Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia, Dec. 7.
Defense Logistics Agency Aviation Commander Air Force Brig. Gen. David Sanford and DLA Installation Management Richmond Site Director David Gibson lit a holiday tree on the front lawn of Building 34 on DSCR, which can be seen from Virginia Route 301 in Chesterfield County.
Due to COVID-19, there was less fanfare for the event this year. “Normally, we partner with Bensley Elementary School which is adjacent to our installation’s North Gate and the 5th graders perform holiday songs, but due to COVID-19 we are not able to gather and celebrate in our usual fashion,” Sanford said.
The last official tree lighting ceremony, which had around 500 participants including installation employees and elementary school children and staff, took place in 2019.
“Although we still can’t have the large ceremony with carols and refreshments we are used to, we felt it was still important to continue the tradition after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic,” the commander said. “We hope we will be able to return to the large ceremony we’ve grown to enjoy over the years next year.”
DLA Installation Management Richmond is in charge setting up official installation lighting. “This is something our electricians and maintenance crew look forward to every year,” said Gibson.
“Because of Phase 2 construction of the DLA Aviation Operations Center, we weren’t able to install lighted decorations on as many of the utility poles and streetlights this year, but we wanted to do something for the workforce on center, as well as the thousands of folks that drive along Route 301,” Gibson said. “Lighting the tree in front of Building 34 helps ring in the spirit of the holidays on the installation.”