Associate’s Scrapbooks Detail Rich History

Associate Marta Antonio shows Exchange Director/CEO Tom Shull her scrapbook.

Like thumbing through an old family album, the self-proclaimed historian Marta Antonio can tell you who’s who by flipping through her four scrapbooks of memorabilia representing 15 years of working at the Fort Carson’s Military Clothing Store.

With most of her 35-year Exchange career spent at Fort Carson, she’s witnessed generations of Soldiers proceed through the ranks. Antonio started the scrapbook collection to inform customers about post events.

“I  met the installation com-mander when he was a two-star general,” Antonio said. “I have customers who, after they retired and their kids have joined the Army, bring their children to see me.

“It’s so exciting to be able to show them pictures of their fathers or mothers.

“Fort Carson has world-class Soldiers who go to the Olympics, the Army games and competitions with all of the military athletes of the world,” said Antonio. “In my scrapbooks are featured athletes who have won gold in the Olympics.

“I make sure to keep the pictures so they can sign them when they come in.”

Antonio said she never forgets a face and delights in recognizing customers, even after years of absence from the store.

“I had a customer who came in one day and I said ‘I haven’t seen you in a long time,’ then he said ‘Ms. Marta! I’ve been gone for ten years, I’m just coming back.’

She said she doesn’t intend for the scrapbooks to gather dust even after she retires. They’re too valuable for telling the Exchange story at Fort Carson.

“They will retire with me for memorabilia and to reminisce,” Antonio said. “Fort Carson’s got a good thing going on with the Olympics, the Games, competitions and things like that.

“We have all those great Army athletes right here at Ft. Carson, it’s such a beautiful thing,”