{"id":10113,"date":"2024-02-15T16:10:44","date_gmt":"2024-02-15T16:10:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/?p=10113"},"modified":"2024-02-15T16:10:44","modified_gmt":"2024-02-15T16:10:44","slug":"its-better-at-bliss-army-air-force-exchange-service-breaks-ground-on-new-cell-tower","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2024\/02\/15\/its-better-at-bliss-army-air-force-exchange-service-breaks-ground-on-new-cell-tower\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It\u2019s Better at Bliss\u2019: Army & Air Force Exchange Service Breaks Ground on New Cell Tower"},"content":{"rendered":"

FORT BLISS<\/strong> \u2013 The Army & Air Force Exchange Service broke ground on a new cell tower at Fort Bliss, part of a significant Quality-of-Life improvement<\/a> for Soldiers, their families, personnel and visitors at the U.S. Army installation. The Exchange and military community celebrated the project at a groundbreaking Feb. 14.<\/p>\n

The tower, next to William Beaumont Army Medical Center and nicknamed \u201cButterfield\u201d for the nearby Butterfield Trail Golf Club, brings 5G connectivity for Verizon\u2019s network.<\/p>\n

Lack of reliable cell service had been a long-standing challenge at Fort Bliss, receiving regular attention in surveys and at town halls.<\/p>\n

The cell tower, constructed by Boldyn Networks, ties in directly with the installation\u2019s \u201cIt\u2019s Better at Bliss\u201d campaign, which aims to educate the Fort Bliss community about services, events, improvement projects and more that directly enhance Quality-of-Life for Soldiers, their families and other personnel across the installation.<\/p>\n

A golden shovel ceremony was attended by Col. Brendan R. Gallagher, garrison commander; Command Sgt. Maj. David N. Sweeney; and Lt. Col. Gino Hernandez, garrison chaplain.<\/p>\n

\u201cCellphones are an organic part of what we do to stay connected with people that we care about, stay dialed in to what\u2019s happening in the world and support mission-related communications,\u201d Col. Gallagher said. \u201cFort Bliss has world class shopping, dining and recreational facilities, but whenever we asked the community what more we could do to improve their Quality-of-Life, the answer was always \u2018cell service.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has been a very long time coming and we are deeply grateful to everybody who made this happen to bring a marked improvement to the Fort Bliss Quality-of-Life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joining from the Exchange, Boldyn and Verizon were Ronny Rexrode, Exchange Western region senior vice president; Christine Harlan, Exchange Southwest region vice president; Joanne Cahalan, Fort Bliss Exchange general manager; retired Army Col. Lou Zeisman, Boldyn senior director and military liaison; Vincent Bacchi, Boldyn senior director of site acquisition; Chris Manley, Boldyn site acquisition project manager; and Martin Mallady, Verizon associate director of mobility.<\/p>\n

\"The
From left: Dewayne Washington, Boldyn construction project manager; Manley; Bacchi; Cahalan; Harlan; Rexrode; Col. Gallagher; Command Sgt. Maj. Sweeney; Mallady; retired Army Col. Zeisman.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe Exchange is thrilled to provide this amazing Quality-of-Life improvement for the Fort Bliss community,\u201d Cahalan said. \u201cFor service members, families and personnel on post, connectivity is an absolute priority and is vital to their readiness.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe community spoke, leaders listened and the Exchange is honored to help deliver the best to our heroes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Butterfield tower is the first of 10 approved projects for new cell towers planned for construction across Fort Bliss, with construction on the remaining towers scheduled to begin within two months.<\/p>\n

\u2013 30 \u2013<\/p>\n

Since 1895, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (Exchange) has gone where Soldiers, Airmen, Guardians 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 54th-largest retailer in the United States. 100% of Exchange earnings support military communities. In the last 10 years, your Exchange benefit has provided $3.5 billion in earnings for critical military Quality-of-Life programs. The Exchange is a non-appropriated fund entity of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors. The Exchange is a 50th Anniversary Vietnam War Commemorative Partner, planning and conducting events and activities that recognize the service, valor and sacrifice of Vietnam Veterans and their families in conjunction with the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration. 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<\/a> or follow us on Twitter at https:\/\/twitter.com\/ExchangePAO<\/a>.<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

Media Notes:<\/p>\n

For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Travis Day, 214-312-3534 or daytra@aafes.com.<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow the Exchange:<\/p>\n

Facebook:\u202f www.facebook.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

Twitter:\u202f https:\/\/twitter.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

Instagram: @shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FORT BLISS \u2013 The Army & Air Force Exchange Service broke ground on a new cell tower at Fort Bliss, part of a significant Quality-of-Life improvement for Soldiers, their families, personnel and visitors at the U.S. Army installation. The Exchange and military community celebrated the project at a groundbreaking Feb. 14. The tower, next to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":10115,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[25],"tags":[160,174,589,107,35],"class_list":["post-10113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press_releases","tag-aafes","tag-army-air-force-exchange-service","tag-cell-tower","tag-exchange","tag-military"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2024\/02\/15\/its-better-at-bliss-army-air-force-exchange-service-breaks-ground-on-new-cell-tower\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"\u2018It\u2019s Better at Bliss\u2019: Army & Air Force Exchange Service Breaks Ground on New Cell Tower","url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2024\/02\/15\/its-better-at-bliss-army-air-force-exchange-service-breaks-ground-on-new-cell-tower\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2024\/02\/15\/its-better-at-bliss-army-air-force-exchange-service-breaks-ground-on-new-cell-tower\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/02\/53530751451_89ec72c27b_o-1.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/02\/53530751451_89ec72c27b_o-1.jpg"},"articleSection":"Press Releases","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Travis Day"}],"creator":["Travis Day"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Exchange Newsroom","logo":""},"keywords":["aafes","army & air force exchange service","cell tower","exchange","military"],"dateCreated":"2024-02-15T16:10:44Z","datePublished":"2024-02-15T16:10:44Z","dateModified":"2024-02-15T16:10:44Z"},"rendered":"