#FlashbackFriday: 2003—Six Days After Troops Secure the Baghdad Airport, the Exchange is There

At 1 a.m. April 17, 2003—22 years ago this week—JBSA-Randolph AFB Sales and Merchandise Manager Mike Smith arrived in Baghdad via military airlift. Smith, who arrived six days after the 3rd Infantry Division (ID) secured Baghdad International Airport during the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, was the leader of an Exchange team ready to provide support for the front-line Soldiers.

Arriving flights were limited to non-daylight hours as sporadic fighting was still occurring throughout Baghdad. Security was extremely tight at the airport and 3^rd ID troops were dug in along the road next to their Bradley fighting vehicles.

Smith quickly began laying the groundwork for Exchange operations. The Exchange team was allotted three former Iraqi freight warehouses for its operations. One warehouse was allotted for  a store, another for a makeshift stock room and a third was staged for rodeo support.

The next challenge was stocking merchandise. On April 20, a military convoy arrived, accompanied by Exchange Europe Commander Col. Bill Taylor. The convoy included 16 containers of merchandise and four tactical field units (TFEs). Previously destined for another location, the convoy was redirected to become the first Exchange support at the Baghdad airport.

A day later, the Exchange was open for business in Baghdad. Within the first five hours, sales totaled $80,000.

Lines had begun to form during the early hours as Soldiers entered the new Exchange. Many of them had not seen a PX in two or three months and appreciated the new store. “When I crawled out of bed at 5:30 a.m., I was astonished to see troops outside the entrance playing cards,” Smith said.

In addition to store operations, the Baghdad airport staff started running daily rodeos, offering tastes and comforts of home to Soldiers in remote locations.

The original Baghdad team consisted of 13 volunteer associates. More volunteers arrived later, augmented temporarily by a team of local nationals from Kuwait. The team endured hot, dusty conditions will handling a heavy workload.

“Not only are these people volunteers, they are heroes,” said J.W. Merriman, Baghdad International Airport’s general manager. “I’m overcome by the intense desire to take care of the troops! I never expected AAFES to be here supporting our troops this soon, especially in the midst of a war still in progress.”

Later, Shirley Carlson, Eastern Region senior services program specialist, and Europe Services Operations Chief Silvia Stoudemire, led the first three Exchange commodity concessionaires, along with trailers to support barber, alteration and embroidery facilities, to be located at the airport. They were successful in establishing a bazaar only 16 days after the 3^rd ID secured the airport.

U.S. troops welcomed the three-day bazaar was a welcome addition for the U.S. troops. Crowds gathered to check out a variety of merchandise, such as jewelry, carpets, clothing, backpacks, gift items, knives, swords and much more. Troops expressed their gratitude for the services and for the Exchange associates.

A week earlier, Stoudemire and Carlson provided a similar service to the troops at Tallil Air Base, Iraq. The total number of military troops supported at both installations  ranged from 30,000-40,000. In 2021, Stoudemire— who spent six years in deployment during her 30-year Exchange career—was one of a group of retirees who returned to the Exchange to support Operation Allies Welcome, a mission to provide essential support to at-risk Afghan guests as they completed the necessary steps for resettlement in the United States after the end of Operation Enduring Freedom.