Decorated military officer Bruce Akers wants to spend more time in the great outdoors
June 7, 2024
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Decorated military officer, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM) organizational property management officer, and nature aficionado Bruce Akers has retired.
“The best part of my role was working with everyone,” Akers said. “I enjoy working with people and being able to solve the problem at hand and at the end say it was fixed. There are many great folks working as one team in order to accomplish the mission with outstanding results.”
A winding professional background led Akers to LM, starting with the U.S. Army. Akers served as an officer for 15 years of his 23-year career, and he eventually retired as a Special Forces major. While serving, he earned a BA in political science from Columbus State University in Georgia.
Akers’ final assignment in the military prompted his retirement from the Army, but he didn’t slow down. He continued to work in many challenging and rewarding positions leading up to his employment with LM.
Professional highlights of Akers’ career include his roles as a federal employee with the National Nuclear Security Administration, a logistics manager at Fort Chaffee in Arkansas, an Organizational Property Management Officer for the Idaho National Laboratory, and a property administrator for the U.S. Department of Defense in Middletown, Iowa.
In June 2018, Akers accepted the organizational property management officer position at LM, where he worked diligently until the date of his retirement.
As part of the LM Asset Management team, Akers met property and vehicle assets needs for everyone. He provided federal oversight for the LM Support Partners’ personal property programs, including Fleet Management, and made sure personnel followed rules and regulations, emphasizing safety and ensuring property received regular maintenance.
“We make sure everyone has everything they need to complete the mission and do their work,” Akers said. “We have a significant impact on the LM mission. I was the keeper at the gate, making sure everything was OK.”
Not only did he and the Asset Management team serve the five main field sites, Akers also acted as LM Aviation Safety Officer starting in 2020, supporting LM’s Aviation Program as they performed baseline aerial surveys using small uncrewed aerial vehicles (sUAV).
“One of my most memorable moments with LM was with the sUAV Aviation Program,” Akers said. “I had the pleasure of being there from the beginning and have watched it grow into one of the best aviation programs in DOE. I also thoroughly enjoyed working in the field with all the contractors and federal employees from the different programs and projects who assisted to ensure that the baseline surveys ran smoothly.”
Akers has received many letters of recommendation for the work he’s performed. He also earned two On-the-Spot Awards from LM Technical Director for Long-Term Stewardship Tania Smith Taylor, the first in 2019 for volunteering to help with planning and implementing an all-hands event in Augusta, Georgia, and the second in 2020, acknowledging his exceptional mobile device management solutions for personnel.
At his May 21 retirement celebration, Akers received the Distinguished Service award from LM Director Carmelo Melendez. When presenting the award, Melendez said, “We want to sincerely express our gratitude to a coworker who cares about the country and his job. Bruce, I wish you and your family the best going forward in the fourth chapter in your life.”
Despite the recognition he’s deservedly received, Akers believes that any day he does his duty is just another day.
“Growing up in the military and being Special Forces, we were silent warriors. We did what we did and we needed no recognition. I don’t need pats on the back. I did the job and did it to 100% of my ability and that’s enough for me,” Akers said.
Akers has big plans for retirement. An avid outdoorsman and family man, he intends to fit in as much hunting and fishing as possible. His wife gifted him a set of golf clubs for Christmas, and he intends to learn to love the sport in retirement. He and his family are already anticipating interesting travel destinations, and he wants to reignite his passion for cooking.