History
On Feb. 9, 2002, at Afghanistan’s Kandahar AB, associates Ralph Henderson, Billy Hullender and Larry Reimann opened the Exchange’s first store in that country: a hastily constructed tent. They welcomed a seemingly endless line of American Warfighters seeking personal hygiene items, snacks, drinks and anything that would remind them of home. By the time the…
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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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Almost as soon as the first Model T rolled off the assembly line in the early 20th century, exchanges have provided fuel, repairs and other vehicle services. In 2019, military motorists filled up their vehicles with 438 million gallons of fuel at our Express convenience stores and got repair services at 82 name-brand concessionaires from…
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Local exchanges appeared on postcards and matchbook covers, starting in the early 20th century and gaining in popularity during World War II. They featured pictures, including those of long-forgotten PXs from World War II and earlier versions of today’s Exchanges.
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In addition to their regular shifts at their Exchanges, nearly 150 associates from throughout Washington, D.C., worked at a mobile field exchange on the Pentagon grounds after the 9/11 terror attacks. They served more than 2,000 first responders. In New York City, dozens of associates from Brooklyn’s Fort Hamilton staffed mobile field exchanges scattered around…
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1954 Then-Vice President Richard Nixon visited the Nouasseur AB Exchange in Morocco. 1959 Comedian George Gobel sampled food from a mobile exchange at McClellan AFB, Calif. 1972 Comedian Bob Hope met shoppers at Japan’s Yokota AB. In 1958, he visited the Yokohama AB exchange. 1977 President Carter visited the Hanscom AFB Exchange 2000 Actor and…
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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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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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For generations, military families dined in cafeterias, soda fountains and snack bars operated by the Exchange
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