One in a series honoring the Exchange’s 130 years of family serving family
Who she is: Angel Wills, Scott AFB Exchange Military Clothing Store manager
Years at the Exchange: 31
Military brat life: Wills’ father, Master Sgt. Edward Morgan, enlisted in the Air Force in 1964, serving 27 years before retiring in 1991. His career began before she was born, taking him first to Spain and then to California. Once Angel arrived, the family went to several Air Force bases, including Rickenbacker, Ohio; Langley, Virginia; Hickam, Hawaii; and Scott, Illinois.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve been able to appreciate the unconventional lifestyle as a military brat,” Wills said. “I was able to see and do things that I probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do before.”
She recalls spending three years in Hawaii as a child and experiencing life on the island of Oahu, crediting the military lifestyle for giving her an opportunity many people never get.
“Living the life as a military child you get the opportunity to be exposed to different cultures,” Wills said. “I know that if I wasn’t born into the military community I would not even know what the Exchange is and what it stands for.”
What brought her to the Exchange: Wills joined the Exchange in 1993 as a cashier at the Scott AFB Exchange after deciding it was time to find a “big girl job” following her role as a bagger at the Scott AFB commissary, where her sister Ursula also worked and later retired after 34 years.
After nearly three years as a cashier, she took a break in 1995 and returned to the Exchange in 1996, working in the cashier’s cage for two years before becoming the cashier supervisor for seven years. She then transitioned to an inventory control associate role for a year before receiving a temporary promotion to store assistant manager, which ultimately became her permanent position. In 2015, she began her current role as the MCS manager.
“When I began my career, my background helped me be relatable to the kids that come into the stores,” Wills said. “Now, in Military Clothing, I’m able to support the parents of these children and give them advice when they come in and confide in me the challenges their children face as a result of the lifestyle.”
Most memorable Exchange experience: Wills recalls a time she ran into a shopper at the Scott BX.
“His name and voice sounded so familiar to me,” she said. “He reminded me of someone, but I couldn’t figure it out.”
Some time later, the shopper’s name came back to her. The next time he visited the BX, she asked if he had lived in Virginia and attended Tabb Elementary. When he said yes, she replied, “We went to school together!”
Wills later discovered that her classmate was also the father of one of her son’s closest friends, whom he attended school with.
“You don’t realize how small the community is until you get older.”
She shared that her experience moving every few years influenced her decision to raise her own children in the Scott AFB area, giving them the chance to build long‑term relationships with friends and family—something she didn’t have growing up. Her husband, Lloyd “LP” Wills, Jr., was also a military brat; his father, Senior Master Sgt. Lloyd Wills, Sr., retired after 28 years in the Air Force, making their commitment to stability a shared priority.
Exchange through the years: Over her three-decade career, Wills has witnessed many changes across the Exchange, but what stands out most are the generations of shoppers who have come through the stores and the relationships she has built along the way.
Family serving family: Wills remembers the period after her father passed in 2015, when she was preparing to get his uniform but felt overwhelmed and unsure of what to do. Her MCS teammates stepped in and filled the gaps for her.
“I didn’t know what kind of uniform to get,” she said. “They took care of everything for me. Even after I came back [from leave], the support is something I will never forget.”
When asked what family serving family means to her, she said, “No matter what a customer or associate is going through, being there for them to help serve them just as they serve us, in whatever capacity I can serve them, and being that listening ear.”
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