When Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst associate Mary Dungan first stepped into the McGuire BX in 1969, she could not have known the Exchange would become one of the defining constants in her life.
“My first job was in the cafeteria,” said Dungan, a customer experience associate. “It was right after I graduated high school. I was only there for two or three months before I went into the Army.”
Dungan enlisted in 1969 and became a unit supply specialist, responsible for ensuring Soldiers had what they needed.
“I helped the supply sergeant out in the barracks,” Dungan said. “We issued clothing, bedding and stuff like that. If you were in supply, you knew what the Soldiers needed and what they were allowed to have.”
A knee injury on the basketball court cut her service short, and she was medically discharged in 1970.
Six years later, Dungan returned to the Exchange—this time for what would become a 50-year career.
“We were stationed at Fort Riley when my husband got out of the Army and joined the National Guard,” Dungan said. “There wasn’t much work there, so we came home to McGuire.”
Dungan started in the women’s and children’s clothing department before moving to the cashier’s cage, where she spent five years. From there, she worked in shoes and fabrics, then stepped into the operations clerk role for Military Clothing.
As the Army and Air Force systems at Fort Dix and McGuire Air Force Base were realigned and the Exchange evolved, Dungan adapted.
“All the operations clerks were put together as a team,” Dungan said. “I had the McGuire Express and Reel Time Theater. When we were reclassified as general clerks, I stayed at the McGuire Express and became a shift manager.”
When the shift manager position opened, Dungan said she discussed it with her mother, who briefly worked at the Fort Dix PX.
“My manager wanted me to take it, but I only had a day to decide,” Dungan said. “I discussed it with my mom, who said go ahead and to go for it. You don’t know your challenges until you get to your store and as a shift manager, you have to figure it out. It all falls to you. I was at the McGuire Express from 1992 to 2003, when I actually retired.”
Dungan retired on Dec. 31, 2003, but wanting to stay busy, she came out of retirement just two weeks later in 2004. She later took an intermittent role in Military Clothing, which she said has been the perfect fit.
“I was trained to do this in the Army,” Dungan said. “I took the knowledge I learned in the Army. Military Clothing is different because it’s a specialized job. Soldiers have regulations on their uniforms, and we have to know that.”
Dungan said she’s even received a gift from assisting a Soldier with his uniform.
“I’ve gotten flowers from one of my shoppers I helped out, but that’s my job,” Dungan said. “I do my job, and I try to do it right. I take a lot of pride in what I do and it’s rewarding because the shoppers really appreciate what you do for them. That gives me satisfaction.”
Working in Military Clothing also continues a longtime family tradition of service.
“I come from a military family,” Dungan said. “My mother was in the English army during World War II. My father was also in World War II and retired from the service. My grandmother served in the Army during World War II also.”
Dungan said despite 50 years of service, she has no intention of retiring any time soon.
“I like the Exchange,” Dungan said. “I always will. I don’t want to be at home, bored, sitting in a chair and wasting away. There is always something here for you at the Exchange, if you work for it.”
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