125 Years of Family Serving Family – Nick Cucinello, Camp Zama
One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 125 years of family serving family
From the day he was born at Travis Air Force Base, Nick Cucinello has spent his life surrounded by service members. His father retired from the Air Force after serving more than 25 years on active duty.
Nick Cucinello is the assistant store manager at the Camp Zama Exchange and continues to build his career.
As a child, one of his fondest memories was dining at the Exchange’s American Eatery on Hickam Air Base in Hawaii, which might have subliminally paved his path to a career at the Exchange.
“I was around 8 and I remember eating outside in the warm Hawaiian air with my family,” Cucinello said. “We would always eat Wiki Wiki’s breakfast, which is Hawaiian for fried egg and bacon on a bun, and it tasted great. I always looked forward to going there on the weekends.”
Cucinello’s father served more than 25 years in the Air Force. At 18, Cucinello followed in his father’s footsteps. His first duty station was at Yokota Air Base, where he was grateful for the Exchange and comforts of home.
Cucinello remembers going to Korea on temporary assignment for an exercise in a remote location; there he would end up appreciating the existence of the Exchange more.
“When you are living in a tent and every day you’re eating MREs; (meals ready-to-eat, packaged food for combat or other field conditions), the small Exchange store was a huge morale booster,” said Cucinello, who spent five years in the Air Force.
In August, 2000, Cucinello got his first job at the Exchange working at Anthony’s Pizza before being promoted to customer service in the main store. He continued climb Exchange ladder as he took on a job at Military Clothing and Sales as a supervisor before becoming a member of the management team. All the valuable experience and knowledge learned from his prior positions prompted him for another promotion into a management position at MCS.
Today, after two decades of service, Cucinello is the assistant store manager at the Camp Zama Exchange and continues to build his career.
“I knew I wanted to work for the Exchange when I got out of the Air Force because of the Exchange’s core values and ethics,” Cucinello said. “I am very proud to serve with the Exchange that helps contribute to the quality of life for Soldiers, Airmen and their families.
Facebook-friendly version: Nick Cucinello, assistant manager the Camp Zama Exchange, has spent two decades serving those serve. Cucinello, an Air Force Veteran, started his Exchange career working at Anthony’s Pizza but his hard work and dedication allowed him to start building his Exchange career.
