Being Recognized for Service ‘Beyond Words’ For Veterans During Tinker Exchange Shopping Day

Retired Air Force Staff Sgt. Ed Gildner, 377th Supply Squadron, hadn’t seen Tinker Air Force Base since he was training there in 1971—a year before he was sent to Tan Son Nhut Air Base in Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He was blown away by how much the installation had grown when he and 14 other Veterans from the Norman Veterans Home in Norman, Okla., visited for a shopping day at the Tinker Base Exchange.

But what is most memorable to Gildner was the customer service provided by General Manager Charles Eaves and his team of associates.

“I felt like I was the president of the United States,” Gildner said.

It was a far cry from how he was treated when he returned home from Vietnam. Gildner said he had not walked very far into the airport terminal in San Francisco when someone started to spit on him. He said he was spat on at least 15 times that day.

“I was called a ‘baby killer’ among other things,” said Gildner (who is front row, second from left, in the above photo). “I’d say, ‘Hey, I was sitting at a desk for most of my deployment.’”

In 2020, Veterans with service-connected disabilities were welcomed home to use their in-store shopping benefit, allowing Gildner and his fellow Veterans to shop in store.

Tinker Main Store Assistant Manager Christina Griffin visits with one of the Veterans from the Norman Veterans Home in Norman, Okla., during a shopping day for the Veterans at the Tinker BX.

The shopping day was coordinated after Eaves and Jenna Vinzant, Military Clothing sales manager, visited the care facility last year on Veterans Day. Eaves said he and Vinzant knew they had to get them to visit Tinker.

“Jenna took the ball and ran with it,” Eaves said. He credits Vinzant for setting up the shopping day with Candice McIntire, the events coordinator at the Norman Veterans Home.

“There was a lot of coordination—gathering birth dates and socials,” McIntire said. “I scored a lot of brownie points when that was added to the calendar.”

When Gildner learned he would be shopping at the Exchange, he said, he was thrilled. “If I could’ve gotten out of my chair and did cartwheels, I would’ve,” he said.

Veterans were bused in that morning. They were greeted by associates at the entrance, where signage was created to welcome them to the store. Associates helped the Veterans around the main store and concessions. A few Veterans even got haircuts.

Gildner said he bought a few things to eat, such as chips and candy. He also bought a cover for his portable DVD player. The group of Veterans bought items such as electric shavers, cologne and perfume and apparel such as t-shirts, sweaters and hats with emblems of their respective branch of service.

The military-related items are things the Veterans haven’t been able to buy from just any store, McIntire said.

Gildner said he was surprised at the assortment provided at the BX. “Anything you can think of, they got it in there,” he said.

After shopping, the Veterans were treated to lunch at the food court. Associates ordered their food and brought it to the table for the Veterans. Gildner said in return, he paid what he owed forward for the next person.

When lunch was finished, the Veterans were taken on a bus tour of Tinker with the installation’s Public Affairs Office. “I thought it was bursting out the seams,” Gildner said. “When I was here last, it was so small and dinky.”

Vinzant’s takeaway from the shopping day was that recognition goes a long way in providing quality customer service for Veterans like Gildner. “They feel especially grateful they’re able to be around the military community and tell their stories,” Vinzant said. “They like coming back and feeling like they are a part of that and still recognized.”

Eaves echoed the message. “To be able to sit and listen to the stories that they told was thanks enough for me,” said Eaves. “It was definitely an honor to be able to offer this shopping day to these truly amazing veterans.”

McIntire said shoppers, including other Veterans and uniformed personnel, would stop to talk to the Veterans. They were thanking them for their service.  “One in particular said, ‘You know, I just want to thank you for your service because you paved the way for mine,’” McIntire said.

Gildner said someone had approached him also. “I passed by someone… and it just did my heart so good.”

Exchange stores worldwide recently held in-store pinning ceremonies where Vietnam Veterans received a commemorative lapel stating: “A Grateful and Thankful Nation Honors You.”

A few days after the shopping trip, Vinzant and Kim Woodard, service business manager, made a visit to the Norman Veterans Home to deliver commemorative lapel pins for the Veterans who couldn’t attend the pinning ceremony at the Tinker Exchange.

McIntire said there were tears.