#FlashbackFriday: 1969—The Exchange Supports the First ‘Reforger’ Exercise, Beginning a Decades-Long Tradition

In January 1969, 56 years ago, the first Reforger exercise occurred in Europe. During Reforger (short for Return of Forces to Germany) exercises, U.S. and NATO troops occupied pre-positioned weapons depots in the German countryside in a simulated defense of West Germany.

“[REFORGER’s] purpose was to assess and verify the capability of the U.S. military and its NATO allies,” according to the Modern War Institute at West Point. “Reforger trained the operation plan for moving troops across the Atlantic … and integration with the pre-positioned equipment, and deployment to the likely battlefields of West Germany.”

For the first Reforger, 12,000 combat-ready Army troops traveled from Fort Riley to West Germany. About the same time, 3,500 Air Force men flew to Europe from Holloman Air Force Base for an exercise called Crested Cap I.

The European Exchange System (EES) was ready for all of them.

“The shrill whine of four squadrons of F-4 Phantom jets had barely subsided before EES snackmobiles were at planeside with steaming coffee, plenty of hamburgers, doughnuts, and other snacks,” according to a March 1969 Exchange Post article. “Snackmobiles met troops unloading from transport aircraft at Frankfurt’s Rhein-Main [Air Base] and also served Soldiers in the Grafenwoehr maneuver area in the snow-covered hills of Bavaria.”

Footlong sandwiches prepared in EES kitchens were one of the most popular items. EES also offered the troops laundry and dry-cleaning services and provided roving “mail a gift” vans.

The “We Go Where You Go” spirit continued as Reforger became an annual exercise that lasted until 1993. As the exercise grew, Exchange support grew, with multiple mobile food and retail units supporting thousands of troops, often in cold, rainy, muddy, snowy and/or icy conditions.

The 1988 Reforger, with 125,000 participating personnel, was the largest. “Our concern was that the soldiers get the things they needed in the field,” Lt. Col. Larry Beard, chief of Europe’s Plans Division, told the Exchange Post. “Those needs were shampoo, soap, toothpaste, aspirin and feminine hygiene products. We also understood the Soldier wanted a pack of cigarettes, a can of Coke, a candy bar or a bag of chips. After the Soldiers’ needs were met, we supplemented that with what they wanted.”

One sergeant who had been in the field more than a week told the Exchange Post in 1988: “The AAFES mobile unit has helped me a lot. I came to the field and forgot batteries for my electric razor. Today, I bought batteries, a candy bar and shampoo. I know everyone appreciates the mobile unit.”

Here are some photos from Exchange support through the years.

1969: During the first Reforger, men from the 24th Infantry Division take a break at an EES snack mobile in the Vilseck maneuver area in Germany.

1973: Tents were set up to give American troops participating in Reforger a chance to order from EES Mail Order Catalog.

1975: AAFES-Europe retail and food mobile vans head toward a Third Armored Cavalry Regiment bivouac area somewhere on the vast West German Army training area.

1979: U.S. and German troops take a break at an Exchange food truck during Reforger 79. The Bundeswehr troops were invited by their American counterparts to join them in a mid-morning break.