The Exchange at 125: Horseback Riding Schools, Drive-In Theater and Merry-Go-Round

At Fort Dix in the 1950s, 1,000 residents had their morning newspapers delivered by the Exchange’s own paperboy. One customer remarked he could begin his day “just like at home.”

Throughout its 125 years, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service has offered just about any kind of service customers wanted.

During the 1950s, Exchange concessionaires at Fort Hood and Fort Huachuca operated horseback riding schools. The Exchange even provided a merry-go-round for military children at Harmon AFB in Newfoundland, Canada.

At Fort Dix in the 1950s, 1,000 residents had their morning newspapers delivered by the Exchange’s own paperboy. One customer remarked he could begin his day “just like at home.”

For entertainment, movie fans saw the latest flicks at the Fort Bragg Exchange drive-in theater, which opened in 1977 with spaces for 500 cars. Three years later, the drive-in became a Boy Scout camp.