• OKINAWA, Japan

Chief Master Sgt. Rich Martinez, the senior enlisted advisor to the director of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES), visited 16 installations in 15 days during his recent whirlwind  tour of Exchange operations throughout the Exchange’s Pacific Region.

“It was a good trip,” said Martinez, who became senior enlisted advisor in June. “It was good to see some familiar locations, especially in Korea, where I was stationed twice. Going to Okinawa and mainland Japan was brand-new to me. Throughout, it was great to meet the associates and the PAC leadership.”

At each installation, Martinez met with general managers (GM), toured facilities — including three distribution centers, three bakeries and airline catering — and spoke with associates.

The trip familiarized Martinez with how deep the Exchange goes in its commitment to serving those who serve and have served.

“It’s a testament to the Exchange that walking into a store in Korea or Japan feels so much the same as walking into a PX or BX stateside, but there’s a huge amount of work that goes into providing that continuity to military communities overseas,” Martinez said.

“I’ve been on the customer side with multiple assignments in the PAC, but this trip gave me valuable insight into everything that goes into making the final result happen,” he explained.

TRIP ITINERARY: KOREA

Martinez and Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer (EVP/COO) Marla Randolph arrived in South Korea on Oct. 17, and began their tour on Oct. 18 with a visit to the USAG Humphreys, South Korea, Exchange.

During the next seven days, they traveled to the Korea Northern Exchange at Camp Casey; the Korea Southern Exchange at Camp Walker; and the Osan and Kunsan Exchanges.

Martinez and Randolph were joined by PAC leaders Senior Vice President (SVP) Jesse Martinez, Exchange PAC Commander Col. Jason Beck and PAC Senior Enlisted Advisor Sgt. Maj. Thomas Terry.

Although this was Martinez’s first trip to Korea as senior enlisted advisor, it wasn’t his first experience with an Exchange there.

From November 2005 through November 2006, he was assigned to Camp Red Cloud, a U.S. Army camp in Uijeongbu, between Seoul and the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

He was part of the 604th Air Support Operations Squadron, working as a computer systems operations and maintenance supervisor.

“The Exchange at Camp Red Cloud was smaller than most of our Express locations and had a handful of necessities,” he said. “On my first trip there, I bought a heavy TV that I stubbornly hand-carried back to my room. It was a bit of a struggle, but it was worth it.

“I needed the TV to watch the remainder of the football season on AFN from the comfort of my room. It was a small luxury that made my time there more enjoyable.”

He was also familiar with the Exchange at Osan AB, where he was assigned from May 2018 to May 2019 as part of the 607th Air Communications Squadron.

“The Exchange at Osan was a haven for us,” he recalled. “It had everything we needed, but more important, it was a place where my family could find joy.

“My daughter, who was four years old at the time, would spend hours in the toys section, exploring every item with excitement. It was a simple pleasure, but it made her happy, and that’s all that mattered.”

TRIP ITINERARY: JAPAN

On Oct. 24, the Exchange leaders departed South Korea for Okinawa, where their first stop was Camp Kinser. They spent two days visiting the Okinawa Exchange before leaving for mainland Japan, where they visited the Camp Fuji, Camp Zama and Yokota AB Exchanges.

Martinez had already been given a behind-the-scenes look at the Exchange’s OCONUS operations during the summer, when he accompanied Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tom Shull on visits to the Germany’s Kaiserlautern Military Community Center (KMCC) Exchange and the Germersheim Distribution Center. But he was still impressed by the scope of the Exchange in PAC.

“Seeing the three distribution centers in Korea, Okinawa and Japan — just seeing the logistics required for those areas was eye-opening,” Martinez said.

“Seeing the large-scale operations and the bakeries was impressive,” he noted. “Not only do the bakeries provide name-brand bread and other products, they also provide products for restaurants in the local area, for school-meal programs and for Navy ships when they come ashore.

“It was fascinating, and it was an example of how important our organization is beyond the retail space.”

Martinez also visited the Exchange’s airline catering service. Based at Yokota AB, the service is unique to PAC in Exchange operations.

“I got to see the food options they were supplying for flights there,” he said. “Again, it was very impressive to see the number of flights that the service supports on a regular basis.”

TRIP FOCUS

Martinez said the trip’s focus was associates and the stores’ leadership teams.

“It was about seeing their challenges and getting a peek behind the curtain at some of the things they do regularly that I wasn’t familiar with,” he said. “There are challenges with logistics and with the large time difference between headquarters in Dallas and the Japan/Korea locations.

“I learned that PAC and Europe often support each other by shipping things to each other. Things like German chocolates and holiday items were starting to show up in PAC. My understanding is that PAC ships certain things to Europe as well.

“I got to learn how management works with local nationals who are Exchange associates, and how things are different than they might be at stores in CONUS.”

Martinez was also impressed with “the level of pride and effort that associates from the local host countries put into what they do on a day-to-day basis, which is great.

“I met so many who had 20-plus years, 30-plus years, even 40-plus years as Exchange associates. To me, that’s amazing.”

Source: AAFES
Edited by Larry Lapka