Kadena Military Clothing Team Goes Extra Mile for Sailors

KADENA AB, Japan – Front, Ayako Oshiro, Yu Weber, Akiko Winston and, Sayaka Nakamura; rear, Noriyuki Higa, Katsuya Yonashiro and Osamu Shimabuku hold up “champion cards” presented to them by General Manager Antonio Porter for how they cared for the Sailors.

Thanks to Akiko Winston and her teammates at Kadena AB’s Military Clothing Store, Sailors selected to be chief petty officers no longer need to travel more than 1,300 miles to mainland Japan to get fitted for new uniforms.

Three years ago, when Winston learned that the chief petty officers were traveling such a long distance to get uniforms fitted for their promotion ceremonies, she brought the service to the Exchange’s military clothing store at Kadena. Ten Sailors were fitted that first year. This year, Winston and seven associates fitted 48 Sailors with their uniforms.

“The Kadena Military Clothing Store has a great success story serving the CPO selectees,” Winston said. “When I learned that they were having to go to the Navy Exchange on mainland Japan, I started gathering information through the Navy Exchange and arranged through special orders to bring the uniforms to our store.

“We started with a small portion, but now we’re able to serve all CPO selectees on the island. We have improved our service, which has gotten bigger and better every year.”

‘True examples’

Through an agreement with the Navy, the Exchange’s Military Clothing Store provides all Navy uniforms for Sailors stationed throughout Okinawa.

“Akiko and her team did a wonderful job serving customers,” said Pacific Region Senior Vice President Karin Duncan. “They are true examples of going the extra mile for customers and being there when customers need them.”

Winston praised the Navy Exchange, the alterations shop at Kadena, Okinawa Distribution Center and the Military Clothing team for helping pull off this feat of Family Serving Family.

“We treat our customers like family,” Winston said. “Whenever they need anything, we make sure that we can get what they are looking for, and if we don’t have it, we seek to find what they need from our stores throughout the Pacific, so we can provide the best possible service and care like we do with our own families.”