AAFES
employees deploy, bring store to troops
by Beth Young
Hilltop Times Staff
Photo
by:
Deborah Mori and Jennifer Price, above, are a
mother and daughter team who deployed in support of the AAFES mission of
"We Go Where You Go." Ms. Price has worked at AAFES
Exchanges for six years, and presently works at Hill's Base Exchange as a
computer technician. Ms. Mori has been employed with AAFES for 20 years.
There is nothing like a little bit of home to make
being deployed easier. To accomplish this, more than 400 AAFES employees have
volunteered for deployment to
"They are running PXs (Post Exchanges). It
might be in a tent, a semi-trailer or a warehouse," said Diane Brubaker,
Hill's Military Clothing Sales Service manager. "Our goal is to make being
deployed livable for the airmen. We want them to be able to get the same things
they can at home - sodas, cigarettes, even DVD players - the necessities and
even little luxuries."
Most of the volunteers stay for six months. However
Jennifer Price, a computer technician at Hill's Base Exchange, stayed for 10
months. She worked as sales and merchandising and cash cage manager at
"(I volunteered because) I've been a military
brat all my life so I wanted to be there to support the troops," Ms. Price
said.
The stores and their employees helped to lift the
morale of the troops. Ms. Price served not only the Air Force but all branches
of the service, and saw first hand what having a PX available could do.
"There was a group who hadn't seen a store for
six months. When they saw us their faces just lit up, they were so glad we were
there," she said.
While deployed Ms. Price got to experience the war
first hand. When she first arrived in March 2003, she was required to have a
gas mask with her at all times.
She added that many of the troops understood that
the AAFES employees could be risking their lives being in such unfriendly
territory.
"Some were very curious why we would come and
some thought we were crazy for coming," Ms. Price said. "But most of
the military members were just very thankful we were there."
After being deployed for about nine months and
bringing a little bit of home to the troops, a little bit of home came to Ms.
Price. Her mother, Deborah Mori, another AAFES employee, volunteered and was
deployed in December. Normally, Ms. Mori works as a customer support specialist
at AAFES headquarters in
"Was I scared coming over here? The
answer was no because I knew that my daughter, Jennifer, was here and I would
be able to see her," Ms. Mori said.
Mother and daughter got to spend about a month
together before Ms. Price's deployment ended in January.
"I was excited to have my mom there. She came
just before Christmas, so it was nice to spend Christmas together," said
Ms. Price. "She is like my best friend and it was hard not be able to talk
to her everyday. (Her being there) alleviated a lot of my homesickness."
Ms. Mori will be deployed until October and
although her daughter misses and worries about her, she is very proud of her.
"With everything that is going on it's scary
but I know she is doing what she wants and I'm glad," said Ms. Price.
Ms. Price is currently back serving Team Hill members
at the BX, but is glad she had the chance to support the troops who are
defending freedom.