AAFES helping deployed troops
by K.L. Vantran
American Forces Press Service
1/15/2004 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Since setting up a mobile store at Tallil Air Base, Iraq, in April, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service continues providing "a little bit of home" to deployed troops.
There are 30 exchanges in Iraq and 52 throughout operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, said Judd Anstey, AAFES public affairs specialist. Besides these stores, AAFES supports troops in isolated and hostile areas, with 80 unit-run stores and mobile operations called PX Rodeos.
AAFES recently broke ground for new stores in Mosul and at Kirkuk AB. The stores carry assortments of snacks, beverages and personal hygiene products, as well as the latest in electronics, DVDs, CDs and souvenirs, Mr. Anstey said.
AAFES also has answered the troops' craving for fast food. Three Burger Kings and two Pizza Huts operate in Iraq, and as soon as AAFES gets a "green light" it will provide more Whoppers and personal pan pizzas, he said.
The Burger King at Baghdad International Airport, which operates out of a trailer, has become one of the top 10 Burger King restaurants in the world, he said.
"Providing support to our troops deployed in (Southwest Asia) is the most important job we'll ever do," said Army Maj. Gen. Kathryn Frost, AAFES commander. "We're determined to do whatever is necessary to bring a little bit of home to those troops willing to fight for us. Whether it's beverages and snacks or the latest music and videos, we'll move heaven and earth to get U.S. merchandise to our troops wherever they are."
The general said it had been a real challenge in the last several years as U.S. forces have been sent to remote and hostile regions, but AAFES is proud it can continue its pledge to them: "We go where you go."
"The connection to home that a PX or BX can provide at what seems like the end of the earth is the quality of life troops deserve and that AAFES will deliver," said General Frost.
More than 240 AAFES employees -- all volunteers -- work in Iraq, and 163 more are in Kuwait.
"The associates who deploy to these contingency operations put their lives on hold, leave family, comfort and safety behind just to take care of troops," said General Frost. "That's a level of commitment that is hard to find, and they do it because they truly believe they are serving the best customers in the world."
Craig Sewell, vice president for services at AAFES' Dallas headquarters, spent nearly a year in the war-torn countries of Afghanistan and Iraq, helping to set up exchanges and food concessions. In April, while fighting was still going on in Baghdad, he flew into Tallil AB on a C-130 Hercules to determine the best place for the PX.
Those who went on the reconnaissance mission brought whatever AAFES merchandise they could carry in backpacks, he said. The group also brought footlockers full of sundry items.
"Whatever we could drag in, we did," Mr. Sewell said. "The troops were elated. They hadn't seen any of the items we brought, such as sports drinks, in a long time."
Mr. Sewell described the conditions in Iraq as "austere and hostile." There was limited infrastructure, buildings were run down with broken windows and there was no running water, he said. Establishing exchange facilities presented many challenges. The infrastructure has improved since those first days, but running water still is a big challenge, said the 26-year AAFES veteran.
AAFES employees follow security guidelines and adhere to safety precautions such as traveling in convoys, said Mr. Sewell. They travel by military air and have helicopter support.
"We're embedded with the military," he said. "We're in the same camps that have incoming mortars. We sleep, eat and bathe in the same facilities."
Melanie White, a sales area manager from the Tinker Air Force Base Exchange in Oklahoma, spent May through November at Bagram AB, Afghanistan.
"Living conditions were pretty basic," she said. "We lived in tents, used porta-potties and most of the time had no air conditioning. We lived just like the soldiers."
There was dust and dirt everywhere. "You could never really stay clean," she said.
Besides dealing with the environment, the manager said there were many challenges in running the exchange. This included registers breaking down, a lack of computer and phone service, and communication difficulties with local hires.
On top of that was the constant danger of rocket-propelled grenades. Ms. White said she heard sirens daily and took part in alert drills, donning a flak vest and Kevlar equipment inside the bunkers.
Even when the troops did not say anything, Ms. White said she knows they appreciated the presence of AAFES. "You could see it in their eyes, especially the soldiers who only got to come in once a month from the mountains where they were hunting the Taliban."
There were others who voiced their thanks.
"They just couldn't believe we'd have their favorite brand of chip, tobacco or CD," she said. And there were those who were "just glad to see a smiling face."
Despite the hardships and danger, Mr. Sewell and Ms. White said they would go back.
"I never appreciated our troops as much as I do now," said Ms. White, "After having seen with my own eyes their living conditions in these places and how much something as simple as a soda or chocolate – things we never truly appreciate until we have to go without – really means to them and helps them get through another day. We have wonderful soldiers and I thank God for them every day."
Anyone wishing to help deployed troops with store purchases may participate in the AAFES "Gifts from the Homefront" Program.
The gift certificates, in $10, $20, $25 or $50 denominations, can be used for merchandise already stocked at AAFES locations in the theater of operations, Mr. Anstey said. The program is a safe alternative to traditional care packages that place unnecessary strain on the military postal system.
Participants may designate a specific servicemember to receive the gift certificate, or the certificate will be distributed randomly through organizations such as the Red Cross, Air Force Aid Society or Fisher House.
The exchange also follows troops into Qatar to provide PX support during short rest and recuperation periods, said Mr. Anstey. AAFES has also set up shop at Rhein-Main Airport in Germany to greet the troops heading home.
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