EXCHANGE NEWS | Family Serving Family FExchange Core Value By Conner Hammett


ietnam veteran Willie Alexander is in constant pain, but he has not


amily Serving Family


taken a day off in 15 years. He suffers from the effects of Agent Orange ex- posure sustained during the war. “He’s always here way before his


shift starts,” said Andrea Everette, area manager for Subway conces- sions. “He never calls out sick. I’ve never see him in a bad mood. Even when he has pain in his leg or hip, he’ll still come in smiling, with a kind word for everybody.”


❛I do it for the Soldiers...any job I can get to keep me being around the Soldiers I’ll love.❜


After retiring as a sergeant 1st


class in 1984, Alexander opted to stay in Germany rather than return to the United States. A beloved figure at the Hohenfels


Exchange, Alexander has earned the nickname “Mr. PX” for his love of the Exchange, which he recalls as an ever-


Vietnam Veteran Serves Up Sandwiches, Stories V


Willie Alexander serves up smiles at Subway in Hohenfels, Germany.


present source of relief in Vietnam. “I appreciated being able to get


into a town and there was an AAFES there,” he said. “That kept me go- ing. When you’re out in the jungle, there’s nothing but C-rations. AAFES had everything that would remind you of home. You could buy a TV or a record player, and take it back to your little hutch.” “No matter what road the mili- tary sends you down, look back and


the Exchange is behind you,” he said. And while his time in battle and


the effects of Agent Orange exposure have left both physical and emotion- al scars, Alexander is never afraid to share stories with Soldiers eager to learn about the experiences of prior generations’ warfighters. “A lot of guys don’t like to talk


about it (war experiences),” Alexander said. “But if you hold it in, it’s going to get next to you, so I do.”


Exchange Honored for Record Donations 88 percent of Exchange associates have a connection with the military. Are you


one of them? Send your story to exchangeassoc@aafes.com and you may be featured in the next Exchange Post.


The Exchange received multiple


awards for Dallas, HQ’s 2015 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) record-high donations. HQ associates pledged a to- tal of $141,009, exceeding the goal by more than 29 percent. Andy Weaver, vice president of cor-


porate strategy and communication, was honored with the 2016 Hero of


the Year Award. The award is the Office of Personnel Management’s highest CFC honor. Weaver was honored for his innovative efforts in leading the HQ CFC campaign.


Lisa Moak, HQ CFC co-chair, and Andy Weaver, vice president and HQ CFC chairman, accepted awards at the DFW Public Service Awards for CFC ceremony.


JULY 2016 | EXCHANGE POST 7


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