The Fort Jackson Exchange has been a longtime partner in celebrating the Nation’s newest Soldiers as they graduate from the Army’s main basic training center at Fort Jackson.
“Before the pandemic, graduation day was basically like Black Friday for the Fort Jackson Exchange,” said General Manager Common Orris. “The Soldiers were here, their families, friends, all of them came to congratulate them. They got a chance to see the Exchange and the footprint of the organization.”
The COVID-19 pandemic changed all that. Ceremonies were held without spectators.
But in a return to normalcy, families are once again being invited to basic training graduations. And though attendance is limited, the Fort Jackson Exchange team has been doing its part to honor the graduates and their families.
Five retail vendors and four food trucks supported the first graduation with spectators on April 22 for the 3rd Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment. Though there were long lines, the physical distance guidelines and other COVID-19 mitigation measures were followed.
Although 783 trainees graduated on April 22, 483 of them had to remain at Battalion because of the attendance restrictions. But no one was forgotten by the Exchange, which worked in partnership with garrison to ensure Soldiers were taken care of.
“We also had a food truck especially for Soldiers who were not able to spend time with family,” said Erica Turner, Service Operations assistant for Fort Jackson. “We also wanted to serve and support them.”
Turner praised the vendors’ service as well.
“The vendors made sure that they were proficient and efficient,” Turner said. “They got the food out in a timely manner. They made sure all their customers were happy.”
Turner received a note from Maj. Michael Chung, the 3-39th’s executive officer.
“Your AAFES food truck team did an outstanding job supporting our 3-39th graduation,” Chung wrote. “Once again, thank you for always taking great care of our Soldiers and their families. I’m looking forward to working with you again next cycle.”
Families watched from stands during the graduation ceremony, which was streamed on the Battalion’s Facebook page for those who couldn’t attend live. But outside of the ceremony itself, graduates and their family members gathered more informally.
“It was more picnic-style, so family members were encouraged to bring blankets, which they did,” Turner said. “They put them on the ground and sat with their Soldier and ate great food, smiled, laughed and talked, with a good amount of social distancing.”
Now that weekly graduations have resumed, the Exchange has continued to be there.
“We did what we do best,” Orris said. “We connected with our military community and we served those who served in an excellent manner, as we’ve always done.”
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