Mark Wahlberg Boosts Morale of Fort Cavazos Community at Exchange Meet-and-Greet

FORT CAVAZOS — Actor Mark Wahlberg drew hundreds of fans at a Sept. 12 appearance at the Fort Cavazos Exchange, boosting the morale of service members and their families with an exclusive meet-and-greet event.

More than 600 shoppers lined up throughout the Exchange mall for an opportunity to meet Wahlberg, who welcomed and recognized the Fort Cavazos community at the two-hour event, signing his merchandise and taking photos with military fans.

Specialist A.J. Guzman, who is assigned to Fort Cavazos, waited in line for five hours to meet Wahlberg after hearing about the event on social media.

“I was stoked to hear he was coming,” Guzman said. “It’s nuts. I saw Lee Brice here last year and it’s cool to see celebrities just walking around the PX.”

The Exchange’s Corporate Communication and Brand Marketing team hosted an exclusive interview with Mark Wahlberg and professional golfer Abraham Ancer following the meet-and-greet, capturing the celebrities’ favorite moments and words of appreciation to those who serve. Watch the live here.

Wahlberg, the son of a Korean War Army Veteran, was also the 2022 recipient of the Exchange’s Quality-of-Life Force Multiplier Award, which honors those who have made significant contributions to Warfighters and their families.

In 2017, he served as a celebrity ambassador for the Veterans online shopping benefit campaign by letting Veterans know about their lifelong shopping benefit at ShopMyExchange.com. The shopping benefit is a strategic initiative championed by Exchange Director/CEO Tom Shull.

Wahlberg has also appeared on three episodes of the Exchange’s retired broadcast, “Chief Chat,” in 2020, 2021 and 2022, giving a special shoutout to service members and their families.

“Every chance I get I’m going to thank and shake a hand and give a hug to every service man, women and their families for the ultimate sacrifice,” he said. “They’re the real heroes.”