125 Years of Family Serving Family – Woodrow Portee, Fort Jackson

Intermittent Warehouse Worker Woodrow Portee has served those who serve at the Fort Jackson Exchange for nearly 58 years.

One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 125 years of family serving family

Every morning, associates at the Fort Jackson Exchange put on their name tags and smile, ready for another day of serving those who serve.

Intermittent Warehouse Worker Woodrow Portee says that smile is something he takes with him wherever he goes—one of the many skills he’s learned from more than 58 years of working at the Fort Jackson Exchange.

“If the Exchange sets a goal, the team is going to get it done,” he said. “Knowing that, I’ve learned to do that in my life as well. When I start something now, I try to make sure it’s done the same way, because that’s the way I’ve been taught.”

Portee started working for the Exchange in 1961 as a bus boy in the Fort Jackson Exchange cafeteria, transferring to the main store in 1966 as a laborer tasked with cleaning the store before it opened. Two years later, he was promoted to stocking clerk, a position that, at the time, paid $1.50 per hour.

Portee’s work ethic netted him continued promotions, earning him the positions of receiving supervisor in 1974, stockroom foreman in 1978 and stockroom manager in 1985. Portee retired in 1997, but, feeling his work was still not done, he returned to work later that year as an intermittent warehouse worker, a position he still holds today.

“I have always been active, all of my life,” Portee said. “I have had the chance to seek other jobs and work at other places, but I took what I saw and compared it with the Exchange, and for me, the Exchange has been the best choice that I could have made.”

Fort Jackson Exchange Store Manager Common Orris said Portee’s dedication to serving those who serve is in a class of its own.

“Mr. Portee’s contribution and work ethic will be remembered long after he leaves us for the next chapter in his life,” Orris said. “His kindness is felt every day in the dedication he shows to the Exchange mission and the words of wisdom he shares with his fellow associates. It’s truly remarkable the impact one man can still have after 58 years of serving.”

Portee’s dedication has not gone unnoticed by local command. On Aug. 5, Fort Jackson Commanding General Brig. Gen. Milford Beagle Jr. presented Portee with a commander’s coin, recognizing his lifetime of service working at the Fort Jackson Exchange.

To hear Portee tell it, though, it hardly feels like work at all—and he intends to keep at it for as long as he can.

“I love what I do,” he said. “I’m 78 years old now, and I’m not the type to not be honest about it if I’m not able to do the job anymore. I’ll just step aside and let the next person take over.

“For now, though, I just give thanks to the Lord above I’ve been able to keep my strength.”