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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 Exchange served American Warfighters with 50 major stores, 1,800 concessions and 180 food facilities, from cafeterias to snack wagons. On…
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One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 125 years of family serving family. When Petrice Gonzales started at the Exchange 31 years ago, working in the fashion department was a great fit because she had already walked the walk—on the fashion runway. “I was a fashion model in upstate New York, Germany and Texas, where…
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One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 125 years of family serving family. Maria “Nancy” Luke will always remember how she came to work at the Exchange. “When I walked into the shoppette, I met Ruthie Meeks, a shift manager, and I asked her if they were hiring,” Luke said. “She liked my enthusiasm and…
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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 malls. In fact, the organization remains as relevant today as it was on the open frontier more than a century…
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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, the military turned operations of its clothing stores over to the Exchange. During March through May 1976, the Exchange assumed…
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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 schools. The Exchange even provided a merry-go-round for military children at Harmon AFB in Newfoundland, Canada. At Fort Dix in…
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One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 125 years of family serving family Santiago Garcia’s family roots at the Exchange and in the military run deep. Nine members of Garcia’s family—his father, mother, an uncle, cousins, great-uncles, great-aunts—have worked or are working for the Exchange. “With our core value family serving family, I believe it…
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Throughout the Exchange’s history, main stores—post exchanges, base exchanges, PXs, BXs, whatever the troops called them—have changed from rudimentary tents and not-so-well-lit rooms to the most modern shopping malls that rival those in the private sector. Here is a sampling of what today’s main stores looked like years ago. Find more in the “PXs of…
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Never before in modern history have Exchange associates faced anything as ominous as the COVID-19 virus, but they remained committed to the well-being of shoppers and themselves. Beginning in March, they began wearing required facemasks. Headquarters associates began working from home. Customer service and sales points were disinfected regularly, while clear shields were installed at…
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