125 Years of Family Serving Family – Shirley McLain, Panzer Main Store, Germany

One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 125 years of family serving family

 Shirley McLain dedicated her life to the Exchange, retiring after 41 years. But after two months of leisure, McLain decided she couldn’t stay away any longer.

“I missed the life and connection I had with both of my families—the Exchange and military,” McLain said.

Shirley McLain dedicated her life to the Exchange, retiring after 41 years. But after two months of leisure, McLain decided she couldn’t stay away any longer.

McLain came back to work for the Exchange as an intermittent associate—working different jobs at different locations, just to be a part of the Exchange and military community again.

“I love to help the military and that’s what we do here,” she said. “We are family serving family.”

McLain’s career with the Exchange started at the Wiesbaden Exchange in Germany as a sales associate in 1977, after she married her Army husband. As her husband changed duty stations, McLain kept working for the Exchange.

“The military took us everywhere,” McLain said. “I loved that I got to see a lot of the world and the Exchange was always there.”

For a time, McLain’s two children also worked for the Exchange.

“They both enjoyed working for the Exchange,” she said. “My daughter worked for eight years and my son for a year after he left the Air Force.”

McLain plans to continue to work for as long as she can because for her, the Exchange and the military are her life.

“I love that I’m back and helping the military,” McLain said. “We are one family.”

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