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News | Jan. 12, 2021

Senior enlisted leader honored by Defense Logistics Agency

By Tim Hoyle DLA Disposition Services

A Defense Logistics Agency award has gone out to Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Samson McLester, a senior enlisted leader, for his service in 2020.

DLA Disposition Services Director Mike Cannon congratulated McLester, the superintendent for DLA Disposition Services in Qatar and Senior Enlisted Leader for the Central region, on his selection as DLA’s Logistics Readiness Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year.

“He now goes on to compete against the best of his peers across the Air Force for the service-level award,” Cannon said.

Samson said he is honored to receive the award and expressed gratitude to his senior leaders like Army Col. Daniel Horn, deputy commander for DLA CENTCOM & SOCOM Forward, for providing mentorship. He also gave a special thanks to the Airmen he led at his previous duty station at Travis Air Force Base and the Sailors and Soldiers he has led since his assignment to Central four months ago.

“I truly owe all my success this past year to my team. Great things in any organization are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people,” McLester said.  

Calling 2020 a “challenging year,” McLester sees the lessons learned and the adversity as opportunities to grow as a leader. He said his assignment to DLA gave him a unique opportunity to lead in a joint command.

“In the short period of time I’ve been assigned to DLA, it truly has expanded my perspective on my role in supporting the warfighter and I’m excited to take the knowledge and breadth of experience I’ve obtained back to the Air Force next year,” McLester said.