The Exchange at 125: Blasts from the Past
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,…
History
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The Exchange at 125: At One Time, the Exchange Couldn’t Sell TVs or Computers
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…
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The Exchange at 125: Welcoming Hostages Freed from Iran
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.…
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The Exchange at 125: A Pachyderm at the PX
Did an elephant once work at a post exchange? Well, yes. And he got paid in bananas and bread. In 1944, the PX officer of the Southeast Asia Command headquarters during World War II moved…
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The Exchange at 125: Who Remembers the ‘AAFES Burger?’
The Exchange’s foray into name-brand restaurants came in 1977 when Baskin-Robbins opened its famous ice-cream shop at Edwards AFB, Calif. In 1984, Burger King became the first name-brand burger restaurant to join the AAFES family,…
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The Exchange at 125: For 65 Years, We Have Provided Nutritious School Lunches
The Army & Air Force Exchange Service dished up its first school lunches back in 1955 when school cafeterias opened on military installations in the United Kingdom. In 1980, the Exchange was designated the sole…
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The Exchange at 125: The Exchange in Vietnam
In 1965, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service took over a handful of PXs from the Navy in Vietnam the day after Christmas. At the height of the war in the late 1960s, the…
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The Exchange at 125: Exchanges Have Come in All Shapes, Sizes
In its 125-year history, America’s Warfighters could always rely on the Exchange to be there for them, regardless of whether the “stores” were tents, pack mules, bamboo huts, mobile trucks, boats, choppers or spacious modern…
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The Exchange at 125: Outfitting America’s Heroes
Throughout most of the Exchange’s history, troops could buy military uniforms in the main stores, but the Army and the Air Force also carried them in their own outlets. To cut costs and combine operations,…
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The Exchange at 125: Horseback Riding Schools, Drive-In Theater and Merry-Go-Round
Throughout its 125 years, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service has offered just about any kind of service customers wanted. During the 1950s, Exchange concessionaires at Fort Hood and Fort Huachuca operated horseback riding…
