HEROES AMONG US
made by athletic supply companies like Nike, New Balance and Under Armour. Since the Infantry travels on its
feet,
socks are another must-have item. White says the soldiers prefer the ones off-post stores have to offer since they are more durable and wick perspiration better than Army issue socks. Basic graduates headed for advanced
schools, like Ranger and Officer Candidate schools, oſten bring in a three-page list of required items that the soldier is respon- sible for buying. To make shopping faster, Commando offers duffle bags already packed with the necessities. Tey also make and sew on name tags and provide field manuals as well as souvenirs, medals and historic items. Extreme Outfitters is geared more toward tactical gear like GPS watches and solar chargers for recharging phones in the field. In addition to carrying the prescribed
equipment and nice-to-have extras, the stores know that there are some spe- cific items that soldiers can’t have, such as scented lotion and products like caf- feinated gum. Te employees know what is authorized. In both Commando and Extreme Outfitters, many of the clerks are former military service members, so not only can they help the soldier, but they can empathize. Even when the new Infantrymen leave
Fort Benning, they can still get their sup- plies from Columbus stores’ websites. Nina Gomez, who handles marketing for
Commando, remembers a mother in New York who wanted boots for her son, called the store and had them sent over to Ranger Training. Whitney Golden at Extreme Outfitters says they keep all the customers’ receipts, which has come in handy. “One lady called her when her son lost every- thing in an explosion in Afghanistan and wanted to replace all of it. We were able to go to the receipts and find what he had bought,” she recalls. In addition to supplying our Fort
Benning neighbors with gear, the military stores in Columbus are big supporters of Fort Benning events and charities, making many of those functions possible.
34 Columbus and the Valley AUGUST 2013
See MORE in our DIGITAL EXTRA
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77