JBSA-Lackland Kids get a Peek at How the Exchange Serves Deployed Troops
More than 100 Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland military children between the ages of 9-12 got a sense of what it’s like when their parents deploy, including the Exchange’s role in serving those far from home.
Operation Junior Expeditionary Team (OPJET), an annual project by the 502nd Family and Readiness Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, returned June 11 after a one-year absence because of COVID-19.
Lackland Exchange Main Store Manager Patricia Murauskas teaches children about Exchange history during a visit to the Mobile Field Exchange.
Sunny skies and warm temperatures greeted participants, who explored a Mobile Field Exchange and learned how it helps carry out the Exchange’s mission of serving those who serve, no matter where they serve.
The MFE was outfitted with illustrative panels with historical information and descriptions of how their deployed family members shopped for basics like snacks and toiletries in a 53-foot trailer that can be converted to an Exchange store on wheels.
Exchange driver Bruce Cameron, Lackland Exchange Main Store Manager Patricia Murauskas and Col. Shane Cuellar, commander of the 502nd Force Support Group, pose in front of the Mobile Field Exchange during Operation Junior Expeditionary Team at Lackland Air Force Base.
“The kids loved the MFE,” said JBSA-Lackland Exchange General Manager Carrie Cammel. “OPJET gives them a real sense of how deployment works, from recruiting centers to military clothing to actual training, and the Exchange is a big part of that.”
The Waco Distribution Center provided the MFE and Lackland Exchange Store Manager Patricia Murauskas gave participants an overview of how it works.
“It went very smoothly and the kids were eager to learn about the Exchange,” Murauskas said. “It was great to see eager, smiling faces again.”
Additional OPJET activities included an obstacle course, water gun target shooting, dog demonstrations and more.
“A parent’s deployment is one of the toughest parts of being a military child,” Cammel said. “Seeing what life is like for a deployed parent can help kids strengthen that bond, even when their parent is far away.”
