Uncategorized

The Exchange at 125: Wow, Our Gas Stations Have Really Changed!

By Robert Philpot / July 15, 2020 /

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…

Read More

The Exchange at 125: Postcards and Matchbooks Told the Exchange Story

By Robert Philpot / July 14, 2020 /

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.

Read More

The Exchange at 125: Serving Those Who Served on 9/11

By Robert Philpot / July 14, 2020 /

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…

Read More

Smile, Camp Humphreys: Exchange Opens First Dental Office Overseas

By SSG Mark Kauffman / July 13, 2020 /

Military family members and retirees at Camp Humphreys have a new reason to smile more often. The Exchange opened a new dental office inside the Sentry Mini Mall on July 8. The dental office on post is the first of its kind overseas for military family members and retirees. While service members assigned to Camp…

Read More

The Exchange at 125: Many Famous People Have Visited Our Stores

By Robert Philpot / July 13, 2020 /

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…

Read More

The Exchange at 125: We Welcomed Home 18.5 Million Veterans with the Homecoming They Deserved

By Robert Philpot / July 10, 2020 /

On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2017, 18.5 million honorably discharged Veterans, regardless of their years of service, were welcomed home to their military family with online shopping privileges with the Exchange. We spread out the welcome mat for the deserving Veterans after the Department of Defense changed its eligibility policy. Since 2017, more than 125,000…

Read More

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…

Read More

ICYMI: The Week that was in the Exchange Post

By Loyd Brumfield / July 10, 2020 /

This week, Exchange Post readers met several associates who exemplify the idea of family serving family as part of an ongoing celebration of the Exchange’s 125th anniversary. It also was a banner week for National Guard troops at Fort Polk and for one Exchange general manager who earned the honor of a lifetime. In case…

Read More

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.

Read More

ICYMI: Last Week on ‘Chief Chat’

By Chris Ward / July 6, 2020 /

Chief Master Sgt. Luis Reyes, the Exchange’s senior enlisted advisor, is giving members of the military community the chance to connect with big celebrities and rising talent in real-time during his “Chief Chats” on Facebook Live every Tuesday and Thursday. In case you missed it, last week’s episodes featured: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers,…

Read More