FORT BELVOIR, Va. –
A new lapel pin and certificate will soon be awarded to Defense Logistics Agency employees who regularly worked on-site or contributed to essential missions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Called the Frontline Hero Pin, the award covers work done by civilian employees between March 2020 through May 2022. About 9,000 employees are expected to receive the pin, said Joe Davenport, who manages the DLA Honorary Awards Program.
Eligibility is determined by approval authorities based on the nature of the qualifying COVID-19 operation or activity. Approval authorities include commanders or deputy commanders of major subordinate commands or directorates, the agency chief of staff and regional commanders.
The recognition was a joint development between DLA Human Resources and major subordinate commands to honor employees such as distribution process workers who helped the agency send lifesaving supplies to Defense Department and federal customers, Davenport said.
Employees’ work included equipping mobile hospitals and nursing homes with masks and gloves, distributing test kits and vaccinations, and even replenishing the Strategic National Stockpile.
“I encourage you to celebrate the remarkable resilience, extraordinary courage and exemplary devotion to duty that our employees demonstrated during this unprecedented period of uncertainty,” DLA Human Resources Director Sharyn Saunders said in a May 23 message to senior leaders announcing authorization of the award.
Pins and certificates have been sent to local organizations for distribution, but leaders are still determining recipients and signing certificates, Davenport added.
DLA’s awards team coordinated with the Institute of Heraldry to produce the pin design, which began with six prototypes. The pin is silver and epoxy and includes the DLA emblem.