History

#FlashbackFriday: Five Years Ago, the COVID Era Began, and the Exchange Showed Its Resiliency

By Robert Philpot / March 7, 2025 /

From a mobile field Exchange supporting troops and front-line workers in New York City to a prom celebration for teens working at the Spangdahlem food court, the Exchange showed its versatility during a challenging time.

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#FlashbackFriday: 1991—A Letter Home From Saudi Arabia After Operation Desert Storm

By Robert Philpot / February 28, 2025 /

For the March/April 1991 issue of the Exchange Post, an associate wrote “A Letter Home,” a collection of memories from her time in Saudi Arabia.

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#FlashbackFriday: 1977—A Unique Mission on Remote Islands in the Pacific

By Robert Philpot / February 21, 2025 /

Why the Exchange opened stores on Enewetak and Lojwa islands, remote sites in the Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, in the late ’70s.

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#FlashbackFriday: The Exchange Has Had a Lot of Heart on Valentine’s Day

By Robert Philpot / February 14, 2025 /

Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday this year, so Flashback Friday is taking a heartfelt look at some of the ways the Exchange has celebrated the day in the past.

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#FlashbackFriday: 2003—a Big Grand Opening in Qatar

By Robert Philpot / February 7, 2025 /

More than 300 people stood in line for the grand opening, with Exchange Commander Maj. Gen. Kathryn Frost helping cut the ribbon

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#FlashbackFriday: Read About an Associate Who Started in 1919—and Retired in 1964

By Robert Philpot / January 31, 2025 /

Raymond D. Conner was a World War I Veteran who started working for the Exchange after answering a newspaper ad. When he retired, he was the Exchange’s longest-serving associate.

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#FlashbackFriday: Dipping Into Dunkin’ History at the Exchange

By Robert Philpot / January 24, 2025 /

In honor of the first Exchange-run Dunkin’ Donuts opening 22 years ago, Flashback Friday looks at some Dunkin’ locations at Excange around the world.

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#FlashbackFriday: 1969—The Exchange Supports the First ‘Reforger’ Exercise, Beginning a Decades-Long Tradition

By Robert Philpot / January 10, 2025 /

The “We Go Where You Go” spirit continued as Reforger became an annual exercise that lasted until 1993. Here are some photos of Exchange support through the years.

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#FlashbackFriday: Jimmy Carter’s Exchange Visits

By Robert Philpot / January 3, 2025 /

The former president, who passed away Dec. 29, made a few Exchange stops during and after his presidency.

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#FlashbackFriday: 1999—The Exchange Prepares for Y2K

By Robert Philpot / December 27, 2024 /

In the late 1990s, concerns arose about how computers would react to a year represented numerically as “00.” The Exchange began preparing for Y2K more than two years before the year 2000 happened.

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