The Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland AFB Exchange continued a holiday tradition Dec. 2, as nearly 3,000 Basic Military Trainees came to the store for its annual BMT Shopping Extravaganza.
The Exchange opened at 7 a.m., giving waves of trainees—who usually can’t leave their dormitories—an opportunity to shop for family and friends. Members of the Exchange’s Corporate Communication invited trainees to give real-time shout-outs via Facebook Live to parents, spouses, siblings and friends they haven’t seen in weeks.
Trainees had their pictures taken with a military Santa clad in fatigues and with the Grinch—often at the same time. Bambi Singleton, a souvenir concessionaire at the Lackland BX, led groups of trainees in singing carols as they posed with the holiday characters.
“This means a lot to the trainees,” said Col. Billy Wilson Jr., commander of the 737th Training Group at JBSA-Lackland. “For many of them, this is their first time away from home for the holidays. It’s a tremendous opportunity for them to enjoy the holidays and send a little holiday cheer back home. I see a lot of smiling faces, a lot of happy customers, a lot of good interaction between the trainees and the store staff.”
Natalie Mateo Nacario, a trainee from Puerto Rico, bought her husband a gift and was excited to purchase it tax-free.
“I feel a sense of relief because I’m able to think about my family today and not just BMT,” she said. “Looking at everything and everyone around here, I feel proud because being a trainee is not an easy task.”
The Lackland team dressed in the spirit of the occasion, sporting elf hats, holiday sweaters and red-and-green strings of bells. Some went all-out and dressed head to toe as elves.
The trainees were bused to the store in stages throughout the morning. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Kevin “K.O.” Osby, the Exchange’s senior enlisted advisor, greeted thousands of trainees as they poured out of long lines of buses and walked into the store.
“These men and women are raising their right hand to defend this country, and they’ll be put in some situations that they’ve never been in,” Osby said. “Giving them a day to come during the holidays to break away from the norm, and everybody coming together, that’s just the right thing to do.”
For General Manager Mikel Hunter, who PCS’d from the Fort Still Exchange to Lackland this year, this was his first BMT event. He also greeted trainees as they arrived at the store.
“I’d always seen it on Facebook, and I was excited to hear that I’d be coming to Lackland and would be part of this event,” Hunter said. “Lackland Air Force Base says that it’s the gateway to the Air Force. The Lackland team believes that this is the gateway to the Exchange as well. This gives us a chance to showcase the Exchange and say, ‘This is what you can expect for the future of your military career, that we will be alongside you and serve you.’ The team was very excited about the event, and they were telling me how great it was going to be. It is nothing but joy.”
Central Region Senior Vice President Rebecca Santee and Regional Vice President Antonio Porter were also on hand, visiting the store and the reception center, talking to command and to trainees.
When the trainees were done shopping, they were bused to the BMT Pfingston Reception Center at Lackland, where scores of volunteers—many from ROTC programs at San Antonio high schools—wrapped gifts for a wall-to-wall crowd of appreciative trainees. Other volunteers helped the trainees send the gifts to the recipients via UPS.
“This is a phenomenal opportunity for the trainees to learn about the Exchange,” Wilson said. “AAFES has always been a part of my Air Force career, and it will be part of their Air Force careers as well. This is a good introduction. I’m happy to be a part of it.”
Click here for a Flickr album from the JBSA-Lackland BMT Extravaganza. Check out reels of the event on Facebook and Instagram.
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