127 Years of Family Serving Family: Tommie Caudle, Vice President of Loss Prevention, HQ
One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 127 years of family serving family.
Who he is: Tommie Caudle, vice president of Loss Prevention, HQ. “LP is a business model, and we provide cost effective solutions to leverage tech to work smarter, not harder,” he said.
Time with the Exchange: Six months
Military experience: Caudle served in the Army for five years after graduating high school in 1983. “I had my head shaved on the Monday following my graduation,” he said. Caudle was stationed at Forts Dix, Devens, Bragg and Huachuca. Caudle finished the last 18 months of his Army career in South Korea.
Where he’s worked: Before joining the Exchange, Caudle worked in loss prevention, safety, and compliance roles for Walmart and Sam’s Club.
“My 27-year career with Walmart gave me experience outside of the fence on how mega retailers approach loss prevention and gave me a basis of comparison as we approach it inside the fence,” Caudle said.
What brought him to the Exchange: The people, the culture and the Exchange’s core value: family serving family. “It was the mission at the end of the day,” Caudle said. “I feel like I’ve been part of the military service my entire life as an Air Force brat and a Soldier. For me, this opportunity is like ‘bookending’ my life.”
Military brat memories: “I was born at Edwards Air Force Base and spent the first 13 years of my childhood living on installations around the world,” he said. “We shopped at the commissary and the BX. Growing up, I played organized sports on base like football and baseball, and I swam at the base pool. We also had family nights at the base theater and the bowling alley and connected with other families there.”
Best memories of the Exchange: “I went to DoD schools when my dad was stationed in Taiwan and at Rhein-Main in Frankfurt, Germany,” Caudle said. “They did Christmas big both on and off post in Germany. I always remember how special the BX made Christmas, and I was excited to go with my mom to the Exchange to shop then.”
On Month of the Military Child: Caudle is the father of two children: Jacob, 26, and Brittney, 33, who is married to a drill sergeant in the Army stationed at Fort Leonard Wood.
“The Exchange provides continuity and normalcy for the family of the Warfighter,” he said. “It brings a measure of comfort for the military family and for associates to engage with them when we can, especially the military children.”
