An Army Contracting Command Soldier in Italy is one of two Army recipients of the 2015 Blacks in Government Meritorious Service Award.
Lt. Col. Brenda F. Perry, director of the Regional Contracting Center-Africa, 414th Contracting Support Brigade, Vicenza, Italy, received the award Aug. 25 during a ceremony at the 37th Annual Blacks In Government National Training Institute in Orlando, Florida.
Perry said she compared the news of winning the award to that of hearing she'd won the lottery.
"When you purchase a lotto ticket you have high hopes of winning--this is my year--my numbers look good," she said. "Then, as time passes, you set the lotto ticket on table and forget about the ticket...until one day you realize that you won millions of dollars. It's surreal--still unimaginable that I was selected to represent the Army for this award."
Perry's nomination included her many accomplishments from the past year, but she said she has the most pride in her unit's support of the global effort to fight the Ebola virus in western Africa.
"As the initial force deployed in support of Operation United Assistance to help fight Ebola in Liberia, I am most proud of the short notice deployment of the 414th CSB Soldiers who were prepared and ready to deploy at a moment's notice," she said. "I am especially proud of the young staff sergeants--some with less than two years of contracting--who deployed and performed their contracting mission in an austere environment."
Col. Christine A. Beeler, 414th CSB commander, said she is "extremely proud" of Perry and her team's performance.
"Brenda's selection for the Blacks in Government Meritorious Service Award is indicative of her character, leadership, and dedication to mission accomplishment through the power of diversity," Beeler said.
The BIG Meritorious Service Award honors military members and Department of Defense civilian employees who supported the DOD mission, overseas contingency operations, and demonstrated role model qualities and the core values of their respective military service or agency. The 2015 award recipients included two winners from each military branch, the Defense Logistics Agency and the National Guard Bureau and one winner from the U.S. Coast Guard.
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