{"id":11951,"date":"2025-11-17T18:57:43","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T18:57:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/?p=11951"},"modified":"2025-11-18T15:14:39","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T15:14:39","slug":"for-air-force-chief-exchanges-pog-giveaway-brings-back-memories-of-deployment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2025\/11\/17\/for-air-force-chief-exchanges-pog-giveaway-brings-back-memories-of-deployment\/","title":{"rendered":"For Air Force Chief, Exchange\u2019s POG Giveaway Brings Back Memories of Deployment"},"content":{"rendered":"

DALLAS<\/strong> \u2013 The Army & Air Force Exchange Service is celebrating service members and Veterans by giving away collectible POGs at Exchange locations worldwide for Salute to Service Month<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For Chief Master Sgt. Douglas Storseth, Air Force District of Washington, Cyberspace and Information Technology Directorate, senior enlisted leader, a handful of cardboard coins tells a 23-year story of service and nostalgia.<\/p>\n

When the Army & Air Force Exchange Service announced the return of its collectible POGs for November\u2019s Salute to Service month, he saw more than a giveaway\u2014he saw a reminder of his earliest days in uniform. And he drove to PXs and BXs across the Beltway for a little piece of nostalgia.<\/p>\n

\u201cI noticed the Exchange\u2019s social media campaign and ads regarding the November Veteran appreciation events, kicking off with the collectible POGs on Nov. 1,\u201d said Storseth, who serves at Joint Base Andrews. \u201cPOGs have a special meaning for me. I kept quite a few since my first deployment and successive deployments as they were something unique to collect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout November, the Exchange is celebrating service members and Veterans with in-store giveaways. Active-duty service members and Veterans with in-store shopping privileges can pick up Vet for Life patches on Nov. 22 and POGs again on Nov. 29. A list of participating PXs and BXs can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Storseth\u2019s passion for POGs was exactly what the Exchange was hoping for during its inaugural Salute to Service Month.<\/p>\n

\u201cSalute to Service month is the Exchange\u2019s opportunity to honor the selfless dedication of those who serve and have served,\u201d said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Rich Martinez, the Exchange\u2019s senior enlisted advisor. \u201cFrom collectible POGs to community events, the Exchange is honored to celebrate Veterans and reaffirm the 130-year-old mission to serve those who serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Developed in 2001 to replace heavy metal coins in deployed environments, POGs, which are lightweight cardboard disks, became the standard form of change at PXs and BXs in Iraq and Afghanistan. While practical, they also became sentimental keepsakes for many who served in the contingency theater.<\/p>\n

\u201cI vividly recall Operation Iraqi Freedom kicking off with the \u2018Shock and Awe\u2019 campaign wondering, not if, but when would I find myself downrange,\u201d Storseth said. \u201cA year later, I set boots on ground at Balad Air Base, Iraq, in what would be the first deployment of my career.\u201d<\/p>\n

That deployment would mark the beginning of many lasting memories\u2014and a few small comforts that broke up the daily grind.<\/p>\n

\u201cA daily bit of R&R was going to the Exchange,\u201d he said. \u201cWith no coinage downrange, everyone had AAFES POGs on-hand and alongside cash, [that] was the currency used daily.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nearly two decades later, those memories resurfaced when he and his wife set out to collect the special-edition POGs released by the Exchange this month. Their hunt took them across several installations in the National Capital Region, including Joint Base Andrews, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Fort Belvoir and Fort Myer.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife joined in, and we visited four Exchange locations around the D.C. area\u2014some more than once,\u201d he said. \u201cWe ended up with 40 total, a mix of Army and Air Force designs.\u201d<\/p>\n

For CMSgt Storseth, the hunt was a reminder of how the Exchange has supported military life at every stop in his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving served now going on 23 years, [more than] 10 years OCONUS, numerous deployments, and too many bases to count, AAFES has been there throughout my journeys,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen feeling homesick abroad, it\u2019s a place to go and feel like I am back in the USA, if only for a moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Social-media-friendly version:<\/strong> A 23-year Airman turned a Salute to Service giveaway into a nostalgia hunt across PXs and BXs. From cardboard POGs to memories of deployments, he\u2019s collecting more than souvenirs as he relives the moments that shaped his career. Read more: https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Q7PG-36L<\/a><\/p>\n

— 30 —<\/p>\n

Since 1895, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service 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 51st-largest retailer in the United States. 100% of Exchange earnings support military communities. In the last 10 years, your Exchange benefit has provided $15 billion in earnings that support the military community, including through contributions to 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. 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 X at https:\/\/x.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a>.<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

Media Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact SSgt Marco Gomez at 214-312-3830 or gomezmarco@aafes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Follow the Exchange:<\/p>\n

Facebook:\u00a0 www.facebook.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

Twitter:\u00a0 https:\/\/twitter.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

Instagram: @shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DALLAS \u2013 The Army & Air Force Exchange Service is celebrating service members and Veterans by giving away collectible POGs at Exchange locations worldwide for Salute to Service Month. For Chief Master Sgt. Douglas Storseth, Air Force District of Washington, Cyberspace and Information Technology Directorate, senior enlisted leader, a handful of cardboard coins tells a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":657,"featured_media":11953,"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":[160,174,106,107,35,723,33,720,45,43],"class_list":["post-11951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press_releases","tag-aafes","tag-army-air-force-exchange-service","tag-army-and-air-force-exchange-service","tag-exchange","tag-military","tag-pogs","tag-press-release","tag-salute-to-service","tag-veterans","tag-veterans-day"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2025\/11\/17\/for-air-force-chief-exchanges-pog-giveaway-brings-back-memories-of-deployment\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"For Air Force Chief, Exchange\u2019s POG Giveaway Brings Back Memories of Deployment","url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2025\/11\/17\/for-air-force-chief-exchanges-pog-giveaway-brings-back-memories-of-deployment\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2025\/11\/17\/for-air-force-chief-exchanges-pog-giveaway-brings-back-memories-of-deployment\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/11\/ExPost_CHIEF-STORSETH-POGS-e1763405602586.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/11\/ExPost_CHIEF-STORSETH-POGS-e1763405602586.png"},"articleSection":"Press Releases","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"SSgt Marco A. Gomez"}],"creator":["SSgt Marco A. Gomez"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Exchange Newsroom","logo":""},"keywords":["aafes","army & air force exchange service","army and air force exchange service","exchange","military","pogs","press release","salute to service","veterans","veterans day"],"dateCreated":"2025-11-17T18:57:43Z","datePublished":"2025-11-17T18:57:43Z","dateModified":"2025-11-18T15:14:39Z"},"rendered":"