JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON – For retired Army Col. Edward Lynch, shopping online with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service has paid off—to the tune of $2,500.
The Vietnam War Veteran was a grand-prize winner in the Exchange Credit Program’s worldwide Your Holiday Bill Is On Us sweepstakes. During a presentation April 4 at the Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston Exchange, Lynch had his MILITARY STAR card balance paid off and earned a statement credit for a prize worth $2,500.
Exchange Chief Financial Officer/Executive Vice President Jim Jordan; Exchange Credit Program Senior Vice President Jami Richardson; and Lt. Col. Cas Benavidez, 502d Force Support Group deputy commander, honored Lynch during the presentation, thanking him for his 28 years of service in the Army.
“Col. Lynch knows what it means to sacrifice,” Richardson said. “The Exchange thanks him for his service. We are so happy to celebrate with this Soldier today.”
Benavidez honored Lynch, who served as a medical evacuation pilot during the Vietnam War, with a commemorative lapel pin, marking the 50th anniversary of the war. Exchanges worldwide handed out pins on March 29 as part of National Vietnam Veterans Day.
Jordan presented Lynch with challenge coins on behalf of Exchange Director/CEO Tom Shull and Chief Master Sgt. Luis Reyes, the Exchange senior enlisted advisor.
Lynch and his wife of 53 years, Bobbie, moved to San Antonio in the fall after spending years in East Texas. They are still setting up their new home, and winning the sweepstakes came at the perfect time.
“The prize will help us with last-minute things to fix up the place,” said Lynch, whose winning purchase was made via ShopMyExchange.com for a TV for his new home.
San Antonio is special to him, he said, noting that he was serving at Fort Sam when he retired from the Army in 1993.
Lynch says he appreciates the MILITARY STAR card and the value it provides the military community.
“The big advantage is that you can use it in the commissary now,” he said of the recent expansion of MILITARY STAR acceptance to military grocery stores worldwide.
The MILITARY STAR card is an exclusive line of credit for service members and their families to use at exchanges and commissaries – no matter where they serve. During November and December, shoppers automatically earned an entry in the Your Holiday Bill Is on Us Sweepstakes every time they used their MILITARY STAR card at any military exchange location, ShopMyExchange.com, myNavyExchange.com or at the commissary.
For the sweepstakes’ fourth year, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service collaborated with the Navy Exchange, Marine Corps Exchange, Coast Guard Exchange and the Defense Commissary Agency to sponsor the sweepstakes, and extend participation to MILITARY STAR cardholders shopping at their facilities.
Facebook-friendly version: Vietnam Veteran has MILITARY STAR card paid in full and earns a statement credit thanks to the Your Holiday Bill Is On Us sweepstakes. Read more about the presentation at the Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston Exchange here: https://bit.ly/2JlX24C
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About MILITARY STAR: The MILITARY STAR credit card program offers affordable and responsible credit solutions to the military community. The Army & Air Force Exchange Service operates the MILITARY STAR program on behalf of the military resale community.
About the Exchange: Since 1895, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (Exchange) has gone where Soldiers, Airmen and their families go to improve the quality of their lives by providing valued goods and services at exclusive military pricing. The Exchange is the 56th-largest retailer in the United States. Its earnings provided $2.4 billion in dividends to support military morale, welfare and recreation programs over the last 10 years. The Exchange is a non-appropriated fund entity of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our website at http://www.shopmyexchange.com or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ExchangePAO.
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Media Notes:
For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Marisa Wolfe, 214-312-5111 or [email protected].
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