Exchange History Articles
The Exchange’s “We go where you go” mission went for the gold in supporting troops at two Olympic Games in the U.S.
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On July 25. the Exchange will celebrate its 126th anniversary serving those who serve. It all started in a little room on the frontier.
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At home, abroad, in war zones, through natural disasters—wherever Soldiers, Airmen and Guardians serve, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service has gone with them for the last 126 years.
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July is National Ice Cream Month, so here’s a look at the role ice cream has played in Exchange history.
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The first installment of the Exchange Post’s #FlashbackFriday series takes us back to 2002, when Exchange associates in Bosnia got to see the world premiere of a movie, accompanied by that movie’s big star. Big in more ways than one – the star was Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was part of a USO entertainment tour in…
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In 1992, four people sat around a card table answering phones at headquarters— the Army & Air Force Exchange Service’s first call center, which handled inquiries about the Deferred Payment Plan, the forerunner of today’s MILITARY STAR® card A year later, the call center moved to the first floor of HQ with about 120 associates.…
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Some exchanges around the world are now just fond memories. Many of them started in the early days of World War II to train Army pilots, but then closed after combat ended. In Texas alone, air bases were once located in Amarillo; Austin; Fort Worth; Laredo; and Army posts in Galveston and Mineral Wells, among…
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Once upon a time, shoppers couldn’t find televisions or computers for sale anywhere in the Exchanges. Since 1949, the House Armed Services Committee and Department of Defense have regulated what the Exchange can sell. In 1986, the committee gave the Exchange permission to sell computers in 130 computer shops worldwide, which became known as “PowerZones”…
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On Nov. 4, 1979, Iranian college students, who supported the Iranian Revolution, took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held 52 American staff members who worked there hostage. The hostages were freed on Jan. 20, 1981, after 444 days of captivity. Three days later, associates at Germany’s Hainerberg shopping center greeted them as they…
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July 18, 1866 – Congress does away with the corrupt “sutler” system, effective July 1, 1867. July 24, 1876 – The Secretary of War appoints one post trader at every military post, such as these folks at Fort Buford, N.D. July 25, 1895 – War Department General Orders No. 46 directs post commanders to open…
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