History

The Exchange at 125: Red-Letter July Dates in Exchange History

By Robert Philpot / July 10, 2020 /

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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The Exchange at 125: The Exchange Welcomed Home 4.1 Million Americans to their Exchange.

By Robert Philpot / July 9, 2020 /

The Exchange welcomed home disabled Veterans, Purple Heart recipients and certain caregivers—4.1 million Americans— with in-store shopping privileges Jan. 1, 2020. Privileges expanded to all Veterans with service-connected disabilities; Purple Heart recipients; former prisoners of war; and certain caregivers. The extended privileges keep Veterans connected to military communities. Before the expansion, only Veterans with 100%…

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The Exchange at 125: We Operated an Exchange in Casablanca—the City in Morocco, Not the Movie

By Loyd Brumfield / July 9, 2020 /

During World War II, the Army Exchange Service—as the Exchange was known then—operated stores  throughout Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia, serving American troops in the North Africa Theater of Operations. One of those stores was in Casablanca, Morocco.

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The Exchange at 125: PX, BX Cafeterias Were No Flashes in the Pan

By Robert Philpot / July 8, 2020 /

For generations, military families dined in cafeterias, soda fountains and snack bars operated by the Exchange

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The Exchange at 125: We Gave Berlin Residents a Much-Needed Lift

By Robert Philpot / July 7, 2020 /

The Exchange served Army pilots during the first crisis of the Cold War.

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The Exchange at 125: Transitioning to a Civilian Leader

By Robert Philpot / July 6, 2020 /

The West Point and Harvard Business School graduate and former CEO of consumer and retail companies brought extensive experience to the Exchange during a time of fiscal uncertainty.

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The Exchange at 125: A Famous Private Told Customers About Exchange Benefits

By Robert Philpot / July 6, 2020 /

Beetle Bailey loved the Camp Swampy PX.

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The Exchange at 125: From a Little Frontier Room Sprang One of America’s Largest Retailers

By Robert Philpot / July 2, 2020 /

The DoD’s largest retailer grew out of a little room on the prairie.

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The Exchange at 125: Meet the Founder of Today’s Exchange

By Robert Philpot / June 30, 2020 /

Rudimentary post exchanges of the late 1800s evolved into today’s Army & Air Force Exchange Service.

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124th Anniversary Month: See How Our Restaurants Looked Years Ago

By Robert Philpot / July 30, 2019 /

Long before name-brand restaurants joined the Exchange family, we operated our own cafeterias, soda fountains and snack bars. We even invented our own “AAFES burger.”

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