DeCA’s Blanchard among recipients of SecDef Award for Outstanding Employees, Service Members with Disabilities

FORT LEE, Va. – Rachel Blanchard, a Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) employee at the Kadena Air Base Commissary in Okinawa, Japan, was honored on Oct. 20 as one of 28 individual recipients of the 2022 Secretary of Defense Awards for Outstanding Department of Defense Employees and Service Members with Disabilities.

For safety precautions related to the coronavirus pandemic, the awards ceremony was streamed from the Pentagon, with awardees participating virtually.

This year’s awards mark 42 years of DOD recognizing its employees and service members with disabilities. Since 1981, the department has honored those who have made significant contributions to its mission and best demonstrate the core values of their respective DOD components.

“Rachel Blanchard is one of those bright lights that you cannot help but notice when you come into the store. Rachel also happens to have a learning disability,” said Mark Bissell, Kadena’s commissary officer. “Her duties in the produce department are prepackaging fruits and vegetables, ensuring stock is available on the floor, checking expiration dates on salad, and organizing the shipments we receive. Her specialty is ‘thinking outside of the box’ through actions such as sharing her salad recipes of the day with our patrons.”

During the ceremony, Kathleen Hicks, deputy secretary of defense and event host, praised the recipients for their abilities to perform above and beyond the norm.

“At DOD, we’re fortunate to benefit from several pathways that help us enlist the right talent and benefit from the skills and patriotism of people with disabilities,” said Hicks. “In nominating them for these awards, many of their leaders described them as out-of-the-box thinkers, innovative problem-solvers, natural leaders, and exceptional performers—exactly the kinds of qualities we need to win the competition for the 21st century.”

Kevin Hennelly, DeCA’s director of Equal Employment Opportunity, said he continues to be impressed by the strength these awardees have shown to excel despite their disabilities.

“Until the pandemic caused a pause in live ceremonies at the Pentagon, I had an opportunity to meet many of the award winners in person,” said Hennelly. “When I consider the trials many of our disabled teammates face when they perform tasks that other employees don’t give a second thought, I marvel at their perseverance and ingenuity.”

DOD has set a goal for its agencies that 2 percent of the workforce be made up of people with targeted disabilities, which are considered more serious health conditions. About 12.26 percent of the DeCA permanent workforce has a reportable disability and 2.28 percent have severe or “targeted” disabilities.

“They’re serving all around the world — from strategic air and naval bases in the Indo-Pacific, to domestic posts and installations across the United States of America” said Hicks of employees with disabilities. “And wherever they serve, however they serve, all of them are making a difference and contributing to DOD’s mission of defending our country.”

Bissell said that although Blanchard's contributions appear intangible, her sense of teamwork, communication and ownership of the mission has boosted the produce department. “Rachel is the glue that holds us together.”

“The truth is that we can provide an opportunity for disabled people like Ms. Blanchard to thrive in DeCA and her managers at Kadena have proved that,” said Hennelly. “Rachel Blanchard and all of the winners reflect determination to succeed in the face of daunting challenges. Their dedication to the Department of Defense is an inspiration.”

You can view the ceremony at www.dvidshub.net/webcast/30340. Blanchard's achievements are mentioned at the 46-minute point.

-DeCA-

About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.