Military retailer has deployed troops’ favorites

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  • By AAFES
DALLAS --  Cold drinks, phone cards and sweet snacks. During the holidays, these are a few of troops' favorite things.

In fact, Soldiers, Airmen, Marines and Sailors shopping at some 50 military Post and Base Exchanges throughout Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom last December picked up more than 400,000 bottles and cans of tea, coffee and energy drinks, 61,471 phone cards and 54,253 marshmallow treats and peanut butter cups.

"You don't have to get fancy or exotic to make the holidays a little easier for troops far from home," said the Army & Air Force Exchange Service's Senior Enlisted Advisor Chief Master Sgt. Bryan Eaton. "Sometimes a cold drink and a friendly voice on the other end of the line is all a servicemember needs to temporarily go from the war zone to a comfort zone."

While most of the popular items troops pick up at the exchange are often locally available at any "big box" retailer, packing and shipping boxes of Frappuccinos and meat snacks (of which troops consumed 54,198 of the 25 cent variety last December) thousands of miles isn't always the most affordable or practical option.

"The AAFES team has been supplying troops with these items for more than five years now," said Eaton. "Our experience has taught us a lot about getting products half way around the world in one piece."

Today, any American can leverage exchange operations across Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait on behalf of deployed troops with a gift certificate that can be redeemed at any of 55 BX/PX facilities. Available at www.aafes.org and 877-770-4438, "Gifts from the Homefront" gift certificates can be sent to individual service members (designated by the purchaser) or distributed to "any service member" through the Air Force Aid Society, American Red Cross, Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, Fisher House, Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, Operation Homefront, Operation Interdependence® or USO.

Available in denominations ranging from $5 to $50, the American public has sent 92,907 "Gifts from the Homefront," totaling nearly $2 million, since the military exchange gift certificate effort began in March 2003.