Two Fort Bliss Exchange managers were honored recently by installation commanders for ensuring that 5,500 quarantined Soldiers didn’t go without food, drinks and personal hygiene items.
Senior Mission Commander Brig. Gen. Matthew Eichburg and Garrison Commander Col. Stuart James presented certificates of appreciation and coins to Fort Bliss Main Store Manager Paula Bradford and Troop Store Manager Tina Bretz on June 16. The duo and their teams are serving a rotating group of Soldiers returning from deployment who must quarantine for 14 days as part of the Department of Defense’s precautionary measures against COVID-19.
From March to late June, Bradford and Bretz’s stores filled more than 5,100 orders, mostly through the Exchange’s personal shopper program that allows quarantined Soldiers to email their orders to the Exchange and have the merchandise delivered.
“We’ve seen everything from a 50-inch TV to toothpaste,” said Fort Bliss General Manager Michael Brennan. “If we have it, they can order it.”
Most orders are for personal hygiene items, food, drinks, tactical gear and electronics.
“I am proud that Paula, Tina and their teams are helping these Soldiers and making the Exchange even more relevant in their lives,” Brennan said. “Our troops know they can count on the Exchange to be there.”
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