MAJ Thompson Finds New Ways to Support the Mission

One in a series highlighting service members assigned to the Exchange

Who he is: MAJ Peter Thompson, Chief of Military Support, Real Estate

Years of experience: 15 years of service in the Army. Thompson has been with the Exchange since August.

Why he joined the Army:  Thompson credits his parents with leading the way in serving our country and says the 9/11 attacks had a large impact on his decision as well.

“I am proud to come from a family of service; my mom was a registered nurse, and my dad was a police officer,” Thompson said. “Every day as a kid, I watched them put on a uniform and go to work to help others. Two weeks into my freshman year of high school, 9/11 happened. That day had a significant impact on me at a young age, and it solidified my decision to join the military and serve my country. Two years after I commissioned, my younger brother followed suit and served for 10 years as an Army Intelligence Officer.”

What he does in the Army: Thompson commissioned as an engineer officer in 2009 and has enjoyed leading in many capacities in the Army.

“I spent much of my time in the Army at the tactical level, leading Soldiers and paratroopers, which has been the most formative and rewarding part of my career,” Thompson said.  “

We Go Where You Go: Thompson has deployed multiple times fighting for our Nation’s freedom and has seen firsthand how the Exchange makes a difference in remote locations.  Now he’s able to support the mission from the Exchange side and provide that support to his brothers and sisters in arms around the globe.

“On my second combat deployment in 2017, my company was positioned on an austere forward operating base in northern Iraq.” Thompson said. “Access to basic necessities was minimal; mail took close to 90 days to arrive from the States. Four months after we arrived, AAFES deployed a mobile field Exchange to our location. Not only did that provide us with essential items that we desperately needed, but it greatly increased the morale of my paratroopers for the remainder of our deployment.”

His role at the Exchange: Taking on this role at the Exchange has given Thompson the opportunity to support the Army mission in a whole new way.

“As the Exchange’s chief of Military Support, I primarily advise our associates on the military regulations that govern AAFES operations on military installations worldwide,” Thompson said. “I assist in resolving financial-responsibility disputes. I am also involved in reviewing all of our enterprise-level memorandums of agreement (MOAs) with the joint services, as well as drafting and reviewing many of our construction MOAs in the Real Estate directorate. I am always available to field questions from the Exchange team if they need support with a regulatory issue.”

Being part of the Exchange family: Thompson enjoys being part of the Exchange family and says that’s because of the people.

“The Exchange team is made up of dedicated, hardworking individuals who truly have a passion for serving those who serve.” Thompson said. “I have thoroughly enjoyed learning more about our teammates, the communities that they serve, and finding ways to better support their mission.”

New ways of supporting the mission: Even though Thompson has only spent six months in his assignment at the Exchange, he says it has already been a meaningful and rewarding experience finding new ways to support the mission.

“My favorite part of my time with the Exchange so far is supporting our Nation’s Warfighters in a different capacity.” Thompson said. “Having personally benefited from the Exchange’s services while deployed twice to Iraq, I am honored to be a part of the team and continue to provide quality support for our service members and their families. It has been a very rewarding assignment for me and my family.”