Tom Shull

It is truly an honor to be part of this incredible Exchange team as we start a new year. We are leaving behind an extraordinary 2017, which began with the Exchange gaining approval to pursue the Veterans online shopping benefit and ended with record sales after the benefit’s successful launch. We met the challenges of supporting our Warfighters in contingency locations all over the world, including new locations at the tip of the spear in Eastern Europe, Africa and South Korea. The Exchange also sprang into action to quickly move merchandise and manpower to push support to areas devastated by Hurricanes Harvey, Maria and Irma.

Many of you are familiar with the classic holiday film “Miracle on 34th Street,” which centers on a Macy’s Santa Claus claiming to be the real St. Nicholas and a young girl who learns to believe in the magic of the holidays. The Exchange’s miracle is even better.

In a matter of days, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, along with our sister exchanges, will give our Nation’s Veterans the homecoming their distinguished service deserves. This Veterans Day, the lifetime online military exchange shopping benefit will be a reality for 21 million heroes who raised their right hands, took the oath and served with honor.

As brick-and-mortar retailers invest heavily in strengthening online offerings and e-commerce powerhouses acquire competitors to leverage physical stores, we are witnessing a seismic shift in retail. Fortunately, we saw this coming and began focusing resources, time and attention to ShopMyExchange.com five years ago.

A large part of what makes the Exchange unique is our capability and dedication to care for service members far from home. We provide to our heroes in far-flung corners of the world the familiar products, dining experiences, fresh-baked goods made with American ingredients, nutritious and affordable school lunches for Warfighters’ children, combat uniforms below cost and gasoline prices significantly lower than those found on the European economy.

As the Exchange celebrate its 122nd anniversary, we are again reminded of our rich history of serving those who serve, going wherever our Nation’s Warfighters go.