{"id":1213,"date":"2017-12-04T14:57:26","date_gmt":"2017-12-04T14:57:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/?p=1213"},"modified":"2018-02-01T16:55:58","modified_gmt":"2018-02-01T16:55:58","slug":"lackland-exchange-spreads-holiday-cheer-to-3800-basic-military-training-recruits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2017\/12\/04\/lackland-exchange-spreads-holiday-cheer-to-3800-basic-military-training-recruits\/","title":{"rendered":"Lackland Exchange Spreads Holiday Cheer to 3,800 Basic Military Training Recruits"},"content":{"rendered":"

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND \u2013 <\/strong>Airman Basic Alissia Bert<\/a> browsed racks of jackets, shirts and pants at the Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Exchange, looking for a special gift to send to her 3-year-old son, Darton, back home in Oklahoma City.<\/p>\n

Bert, 20, is in her seventh week of Air Force Basic Military Training. She hasn\u2019t seen Darton since she reported to Lackland in October. This year, she\u2019s spending the holidays away from him.<\/p>\n

\"\"Bert and 3,800 trainees<\/a> were treated to holiday cheer Dec. 2 at the Lackland Exchange, which opened extra early just for them. Typically, trainees are not allowed to visit the Exchange or do much beyond their rigorous assignments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is such a stress reliever,\u201d Bert said, who was picking up outfits and shoes for her son as well as gifts for her mom, sister and grandparents. \u201cTo get a break from training for an hour is great\u2014it\u2019s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

The annual extravaganza, which included free photos with Santa<\/a>, a DJ and dance contests, allowed trainees<\/a> to shop for parents, family and sweethearts back home. Trainees were bused to the Basic Military Training Reception Center<\/a>, where packages were wrapped for free, weighed and shipped<\/a> to recipients.<\/p>\n

Chief Master Sgt. Luis Reyes<\/a>, Army & Air Force Exchange Service Senior Enlisted Advisor, greeted trainees as they came through the store entrance, shaking hands and giving high fives.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the majority of the trainees, this is their first time coming into the Exchange,\u201d Reyes said. \u201cWe want them to know they are part of our family. I went through basic training about 20 years ago\u2014I know what these young Airmen are going through. It\u2019s hard to be away from family at 18, 19 and 20 years old, especially during the holidays. This event makes them feel special, and we want to make sure they feel at home here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trainees\u2019 family and friends across the globe viewed the extravaganza during a live feed on the Exchange\u2019s Facebook page<\/a>, hoping to catch a glimpse of their loved ones. On the feed, trainees gave shout-outs to parents and sweethearts back home.<\/p>\n

Airman Basic Rachel Di Santos gave a shout-out to her mom, Rhonda, in Florida. Moments later, a comment from Rhonda was posted on the live feed: \u201cHi, Rachel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s my mom! Hi, Mom! I love you, and I miss you,\u201d said Di Santos, with tears in her eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cHi. I love u,\u201d her mom wrote back.<\/p>\n

Col. Jason Corrothers became the 737th<\/sup> Training Group this summer and participated in the annual event for the first time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m wildly impressed,\u201d Corrothers said. \u201cThis is certainly a welcome opportunity for our trainees to take a break from rigorous training<\/a> for a couple hours and reconnect with families by buying some gifts.\u201d<\/p>\n

100 percent of Exchange earnings support military members and their families, including military Quality-of-Life programs such as Fitness Centers, Child Development Centers, Youth Programs on Army garrisons, Air Force Outdoor Recreation programs, school lunches for Warfighters\u2019 children and more. The Exchange has also hired 1,000 Wounded Warriors, second only to the U.S. Army.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis event gives trainees<\/a> an opportunity to take a big, deep breath and think about spending time with their families this year,\u201d said Chief Master Sgt. Hope Skibitsky, superintendent, Basic Military Training, 737th<\/sup> Training Group. She added that every time Airmen shop and dine at their Exchange, they are making life better for their military community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis gives our Airmen the opportunity to take care of themselves,\u201d Skibitsky said, \u201cand we always appreciate that.\u201d<\/p>\n

— 30 —<\/p>\n

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 Web site at http:\/\/www.shopmyexchange.com<\/a> or follow us on Twitter at https:\/\/twitter.com\/ExchangePAO<\/a>.<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

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

For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Julie Mitchell, 214-312-3327 or mitchelljul@aafes.com.<\/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","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND \u2013 Airman Basic Alissia Bert browsed racks of jackets, shirts and pants at the Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Exchange, looking for a special gift to send to her 3-year-old son, Darton, back home in Oklahoma City. Bert, 20, is in her seventh week of Air Force Basic Military Training. She hasn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"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":[25,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press_releases","category-uncategorized"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2017\/12\/04\/lackland-exchange-spreads-holiday-cheer-to-3800-basic-military-training-recruits\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Lackland Exchange Spreads Holiday Cheer to 3,800 Basic Military Training Recruits","url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2017\/12\/04\/lackland-exchange-spreads-holiday-cheer-to-3800-basic-military-training-recruits\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2017\/12\/04\/lackland-exchange-spreads-holiday-cheer-to-3800-basic-military-training-recruits\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":""},"articleSection":"Press Releases","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Julie Mitchell"}],"creator":["Julie Mitchell"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Exchange Newsroom","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2017-12-04T14:57:26Z","datePublished":"2017-12-04T14:57:26Z","dateModified":"2018-02-01T16:55:58Z"},"rendered":"