A Family Keepsake: A World War II PX Card from Grandfather to Grandmother

Warm family memories are created every time Rhonda Bradford looks at this card. That's husband Mickey, the Exchange's chief administrative officer, holding the Mother's Day greeting.

One of Rhonda Bradford’s most cherished possessions is the Army Exchange Service Mother’s Day greeting card that her grandfather sent to her grandmother during World War II.

Rhonda Bradford

Johnnie West, who signed up for the Army shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, never missed a chance to send the cards to his wife, Leona.

“We have a family trunk with items from many generations back,” said Bradford, who worked at the Exchange for 28 years before retiring in 2013 and returning as a contractor in 2018. “There are several items my grandfather brought home from the war, an article about his experience in battle. Surprisingly, the flower card was not found in the trunk, but in one of my grandmother’s old books.”

“This card is a great reminder that the Exchange is so much more, family serving family for past and future generations.”

Check 'em out

Check out these other World War II-era cards from the Army Exchange Service. In 1948, the Army Exchange Service became the Army & Air Force Exchange Service after the U.S. Air Force was created on Sept. 18, 1947.

Do you have any Exchange-related family keepsakes like these? If so, send them, or good pictures of them, here to be included in the Exchange History Flickr Album.