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On March 22, 1972, Northwest Area Exchange associates operated mobile field exchanges for Soldiers searching for “D.B. Cooper,” an unidentified man who hijacked a Boeing 727 aircraft between Portland, Ore., and Seattle, Wash. He extorted a $200,000 ransom (or $1.2 million in today’s dollars). He—and the money—were never found.
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One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 125 years of family serving family To Ronald McDuffie, family serving family connects him to his roots planted deeply in his father’s military career. The late Henry McDuffie, a career Soldier, set a good example. “I’ve always admired his values to strive to be the best while being…
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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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One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 125 years of family serving family Shortly after her 18th birthday, Lisa Piper’s Air Force retiree father took her to the Exchange for some holiday shopping and asked on his daughter’s behalf if they were hiring. After a quick interview, Piper was hired on the spot for seasonal…
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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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The numbers tell the story of how the Exchange serves military communities around the world. Watch the latest “by the numbers” video here, and see how associates’ efforts make a tangible difference to Soldiers, Airmen, families and Veterans. Catch more ways to celebrate on our 125th anniversary portal and the community Hub.
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One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 125 years of family serving family Because of his lineage at the Exchange, Steven Garcia of the Logistics Directorate brings a unique perspective to family serving family. Dating back to the mid-1960s, nearly a dozen family members have worked for the Exchange and some are even working now.…
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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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One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 125 years of family serving family Casandra Winbush has worked for the Exchange for 19 years, but her connection to the organization goes much further back. Her father, Sgt. Maj. Earl Schlarb, served as the Exchange’s Europe Senior Enlisted Advisor from 1979 to 1981. Years later, he and…
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