129 Years of Family Serving Family: Naheem Hudson, JBSA-Randolph

One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 129 years of family serving family

Who he is: Naheem Hudson, Customer Experience Associate, JBSA-Randolph

Years with the Exchange: Hudson has been with the organization a little more than a year and a half, but his Exchange career ends soon: He has been selected to serve as a Naval Intelligence Officer, and Oct. 18 will be his last day at the Exchange. He will attend officers school in Newport, Rhode Island, and Information Warfare Training Command in Virginia Beach.

Military connections: Hudson’s grandfather served in the Air Force during the Korean War. His father is a retired Army Veteran of Operation Desert Storm and the Cold War. His brother is serving in the Air Force. And his mother is a retired Department of Defense civilian.

“Together, we represent what the Exchange’s ‘family serving family’ core value stands for,” Hudson said. “I am proud to carry forward this tradition and continue serving in my new role.”

Growing up with the Exchange: He was born on Fort Gordon, which is now Fort Eisenhower. Some of his earliest childhood memories are of going to the PX at Fort Gordon. “We had a tradition of getting Charleys cheddar and bacon cheese fries. That was our biggest thing, every time we went to the Exchange.” (Hudson’s father still lives in the Fort Eisenhower area, which was facing the aftermath of Hurricane Helene when this interview took place.)

Why he joined the military: “I wanted to keep the family tradition alive. I was next in line. It was my biggest dream growing up, being surrounded by the military. But I also wanted to create my own path while still maintaining the tradition. I’ll be the first person in the family to join the Navy—and also the first officer.

“Hopefully, my kids will continue the tradition one day,” he added with a laugh. “They could be Marines or Space Force.”

Why he chose the Navy: “My degree is in international relations. And I had an internship with the State Department as an intelligence analyst. It was something I always knew I wanted to do. I like learning about politics and different companies and how the U.S. gets along with different foreign states.”

What brought him to the Exchange: “I really love the customer experience—as a customer and as an associate. With my dad, we saw it all the time, the way the Exchange takes care of the military and their families.

“I started at the Exchange when I was still in college, and I loved the organization and loved the people. I love how the Exchange gives back to support families in various ways, especially Quality-of-Life programs. I love it, because I was once the beneficiary of those programs myself.”

Where he’s worked: Hudson has spent his Exchange career in Central Texas, working for several months at Fort Cavazos before moving about 150 miles south to Randolph.

Talking with customers: “I worked at a Troop Store at Fort Cavazos that’s right across the street from a barracks. Younger Soldiers would come to see me almost daily just to pick my mind and get advice, I guess because I’m a little bit older and I’ve been to college. They’d ask me for personal advice, relationship advice, college stuff. It felt like great networking. And for me as a future officer, it was good for me to have future Soldiers or Airmen come to me for advice.

“And it was good to talk to Veterans who are older than me and are the same age as my father, who sometimes served in the same areas. As a dependent, I could say, ‘Oh, I’ve been there, too—that same installation!’”

Family Serving Family: “It means everything. It means that there’s someone who will have your back, even during the toughest times. When my father deployed and was gone for months, I had the Exchange as well as family members there to support me. ‘Family serving family’ is people who can relate to you and have even walked in the same shoes and understand your struggles.”