Col. Kenneth McGraw’s Full-Circle Exchange Journey

One in a series highlighting service members assigned to the Exchange.

Col. Kenneth McGraw’s Exchange journey to Deputy Director of Logistics has brought him back to where he started.

Named to his current position this summer, the Minneapolis native’s first job after graduating from University of Wisconsin-Stout with a degree in industrial technology was with the Exchange.

“After graduating, I stayed local for a year working for a Walmart distribution center, doing exactly what our Exchange distribution center associates do,” McGraw said. “After a year I put out résumés for management positions and guess who called me—the Exchange.”

The Exchange flew him to Dallas for an interview and he accepted an offer for a position as an industrial engineer technician.

In his first stint with the Exchange, McGraw met Col. Bruce Dikeman, who showed him the opportunities that an Army career might offer him.

“I really liked Col. Dikeman’s mentorship, guidance and the way he carried himself,” McGraw said. “I started looking into the Army as a way to pay off my college loans.”

McGraw learned that he could enlist for one term, then return to his job at the Exchange.

“That was my intent,” he said. “Enlist in the Army, pay off my loans, then come back to the Exchange. But I got into the Army and just loved it. Being a Soldier is a fantastic experience.”

McGraw enlisted as an intelligence analyst in 1997 after one year with the Exchange, earning a commission as a transportation officer through Officer Candidate School at Fort Moore (then Fort Benning) in December 2001.

His career assignments led him from Fort Eustis to Fort Bliss, where he served as a company commander and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

McGraw then attended Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., where he earned his MBA in supply chain management. He deployed again in support of Iraqi Freedom out of Fort Stewart in battalion operations before returning to attend the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth.

“Access to the Exchange during my deployments played a pivotal role in elevating my quality of life and boosting my morale as a Soldier,” McGraw said. “The Exchange was crucial to my well-being, and I’ve come to see it as more than just a service or convenience. It’s a true force multiplier and vital to our military personnel and their families.”

His later assignments included stops at Fort Liberty (then Fort Bragg); Washington, D.C.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Joint Base Lewis-McChord before returning to Monterey as a National Security Fellow at the U.S. Army War College. As part of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, he was involved in several fields including global politics, economic statecraft and environmental, social and governance policy.

“Fast forward almost 20 years later and I’m the same O6 that I met when I was first with the Exchange,” McGraw said. “The Army gave me a list of locations I could consider and Exchange headquarters was on the list.

“The opportunity to come to a large city excited my wife and kids, and the familiarity with the Exchange relieved some of the anxiety I might have felt. It’s like a homecoming for me.”

As he begins his new position in familiar territory, McGraw is ready to learn as much as he can and carry his experience with the Exchange forward.

“The learning is what excites me most,” he said. “My dad always told me to learn as much as you can for as long as you can and I carry that mantra with me. I feel honored to be a part of the ‘family serving family’ on this side of the fence.”