Exchange Grand Opening Brings a Taste of Home to Latvia
Lielvārde Air Base in Latvia is more than half an hour away from the nearest town, leaving the Soldiers of the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade with no shopping options within a 20-mile radius.
Enter the Exchange.
When command requested support, the Exchange stepped up and turned a vacant building into a store last month.
“This is a really big deal for the unit,” Brigade S1 Capt. Brian Oh said. “We are very far away from any shopping centers, and transportation for our service members remains a challenge. We all needed this store.”
More than 150 service members attended the ribbon-cutting last month, including Oh, Lt. Col. Berg Lukas and Command Sgt. Maj. Frey John. The store serves about 300 people. Soldiers can find food, drinks, cleaning supplies, health and beauty items, linens and undergarments.
Cutting the ribbon on the new Exchange at Lielvārde Air Base in Latvia are, from left: PFC Coffey, CW4 Josh Muehlendorf, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade S1 Capt. Brian Oh, LTC Lukas Berg, CSM John Frey and SSG Demasi. The store operates as an imprest fund, meaning the unit runs the store.
To serve Soldiers at Lielvārde, the Exchange store operates as an imprest fund, meaning the unit runs the store. Imprest sites are particularly helpful in smaller communities where access to basic essentials is limited.
The opening of the Latvia imprest location took about six months of planning and coordination between the Army and the Exchange.
“The Exchange saw a need and jumped into action,” said General Manager Brian Smith, whose teammates from Powidz in Poland helped prepare the store. “No matter how far or how small the unit is, the Exchange will go where you go. We are here to serve the troops.”
