Camp Rilea Troop Store Represents Exchange’s Commitment In Ever-Changing World

Bordered by the Pacific Ocean and Columbia River, Clatsop County, Ore., is brimming with lush greenery, soft rolling mountains and a unique history. Named after the Clatsop Tribe of Native Americans, it was where Capt. Meriwether Lewis, 2nd Lt. William Clark and the 30 other members of their expedition hunkered down in the winter of 1805-06.

It’s also the home of Camp Rilea, which was established in Clatsop County in 1927 —120 years after the famous expedition. A lot has changed since then, but one thing has remained consistent: the Exchange’s mission of supporting our Nation’s service members wherever they go.

To help keep troops prepared, a troop store was set up about 20 years ago.

Camp Rilea, an active Oregon National Guard post, supports state and federal missions. The installation serves as a regional base for Oregon’s North Coast response efforts. Its facilities, dunes and woodlands boast a wide variety of diverse opportunities for federal training missions.

There isn’t much in foot traffic most days, said Cheryl Najera, store manager. She sees about 25 customers a day, but during training missions, she sees at least 100. During one major training mission, she saw around 800 troops pass by her cash register in one weekend.

A lot of her customers are younger, she said. She estimated about 18 to 23 years old. She credits her own children for her ability to relate to them. Beyond providing them with great customer service, she enjoys being a figure of normalcy while they are there.

She has even given a fleece jacket to one of the troops. “He didn’t have one so I gave him my husband’s old Air Force fleece jacket. He came back a year later, came into the store and pointed at the one he was wearing,” she said. “I didn’t understand what he was pointing at until I realized he was showing me his new jacket.”

Najera is the only one operating the store. “It takes a lot of responsibility,” Najera said.

Before the store opens, she unloads vendor orders, replenishes stock and does price checks. To help cut down on time away from the sales floor, she does her managerial paperwork at the desk. “It’s a lot more paperwork than I expected,” Najera joked. Depending on the needs of the installation, Najera will open the store earlier or close later.

She also works with members of the Vancouver Barracks PX, the birthplace of the Exchange, when she needs help. “It can be hard to juggle excellent customer service with invoices, ordering and receiving, time sheets and other duties.” She said she relies on Tammy Reynolds, the store manager, in particular. The Camp Rilea and Vancouver Barracks stores are part of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Exchange.

Beyond providing excellent customer service, Najera also keeps a “junk drawer” of little odds and ends for visitors who might need items the store does not provide.

This is Najera’s second stint with the Exchange. She was a cashier at the Camp Rilea store before she left to make a career as a travel agent with AAA in 2010. She returned to work at the Exchange in March 2018, coming on as a manager when the previous one retired.

She said she found Camp Rilea as she left it. “Some of the buildings have shut down, but other than that, not much has changed,” Najera said. She also said not much has changed about Camp Rilea since she and her husband, Air Force Master Sgt. Jesse Najera, stayed in one of the rental cottages in the ’80s. “You just know that its Rilea,” she said.