After months of planning, troops with the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment can now shop for essentials at the Pabrade Training Area in Lithuania, thanks to the teamwork of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service. The team opened a PX, the first in the Baltic States, on Feb. 1.
The 2-8 Cav. Reg. command requested the PX to support the troops at the tip of the spear. After overcoming several hurdles, and with Exchange Business Manager Poland Christine Ware, Team Leader Maciej Zaniewicz and Supervisor Tomasz Paziewski at helm, the Exchange team turned an empty office container into a store in six days.
Col. Scott McFarland, commander of the Exchange’s Europe/SW Asia Region, praised the team for their hard work and success.
“Supporting Soldiers in Lithuania has been a long time coming,” McFarland said. “Many of you who helped make this happen had to adjust normal operations to make this a success, and I thank you on behalf of the Soldiers at Pabrade.”
Since its opening, the store has seen a steady flow of customers— proving the location and support for the more than 400 troops was needed. Exchange associates from Poland plan to keep the PX running through August.
“This is what we are about,” McFarland said. “Serving Warfighters is our No. 1 mission and this PX fulfills our ‘We go where you go’ promise.”
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