{"id":12250,"date":"2026-03-24T10:00:03","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T15:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/?p=12250"},"modified":"2026-03-24T08:10:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T13:10:02","slug":"operation-celebration-army-air-force-exchange-service-to-salute-military-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2026\/03\/24\/operation-celebration-army-air-force-exchange-service-to-salute-military-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"Operation Celebration: Army &#038; Air Force Exchange Service to Salute Military Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>DALLAS \u2013 <\/strong>It\u2019s time to celebrate the children of our Nation\u2019s heroes for <a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/2s2vZQm\">Month of the Military Child<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Established in 1986 by former Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger, Month of the Military Child is celebrated by the Department of War annually in April and recognizes more than 1.6 million military children. These children face unique experiences as a direct result of their parents\u2019 service.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the month of April, the Army &amp; Air Force Exchange Service is celebrating with free events, giveaways, activities and sweepstakes for military children.<\/p>\n<p>Offerings include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A free collectible military brat patch at Exchange checkouts (while supplies last).<\/li>\n<li>In-store events from late March through April at more than 50 Exchanges featuring themes and toys such as Play-Doh, Marvel and Furby Furblets.<\/li>\n<li>Exclusive sweepstakes giving away more than $22,000 in toys and Exchange gift cards, available at ShopMyExchange.com\/sweepstakes beginning March 27.<\/li>\n<li>Giveaways for military kids including a free goodie bag and certificate of appreciation for Purple Up Day at select Exchanges.<\/li>\n<li>Free Treat Day on April 18, offering free food and drinks at participating Exchange restaurants including Starbucks, Pizza Hut, Qdoba, Panera Bread and more.<\/li>\n<li>MILITARY STAR\u00ae cardmembers can take an extra 10% off toys, bicycles and accessories beginning March 27\u2013April 30, and an extra 10% off children\u2019s clothing, swimwear, shoes, infant bedding, juvenile furniture, diapers, wipes, toiletries, baby food and baby care beginning April 24\u201326.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cThe Exchange is honored to recognize military children with the same respect and gratitude we show their parents,\u201d said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Rich Martinez, the Exchange\u2019s senior enlisted advisor. \u201cAs someone who grew up as a military child, I know firsthand how resilience, adaptability and dedication shape their everyday lives. Month of the Military Child underscores the vital role these young individuals play in strengthening our nation and reminds us that no contribution is ever too small.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pre-registration for events is not required. Military families can contact their local Exchange or visit the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.shopmyexchange.com\/momc\">community Hub<\/a> for more information regarding events.<\/p>\n<p>The MILITARY STAR card is administered by the Army &amp; Air Force Exchange Service. For more information or to apply for a MILITARY STAR card, see an Exchange associate or visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/aafes.media\/milstarpa\">https:\/\/aafes.media\/milstarpa<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Social-media-friendly version: <\/strong>Month of the Military Child is here and @ShopMyExchange is celebrating all April with free in-store events, giveaways, sweepstakes, savings and surprises. Learn more: <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Q7PG-3bA\">https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Q7PG-3bA<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">&#8212; 30 &#8212;<\/p>\n<p>Since 1895, the Army &amp; Air Force Exchange Service has gone where Soldiers, Airmen, Guardians and their families go to improve the quality of their lives by providing\u00a0valued 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\u00a0in earnings that support the military community, including through contributions to critical military Quality-of-Life programs.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>The Exchange is a nonappropriated 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 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.shopmyexchange.com\">http:\/\/www.shopmyexchange.com<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0follow us on X at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/shopmyexchange\">https:\/\/x.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><u>.<\/u><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">###<\/p>\n<p><strong>Media Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Teonja Tatum, 214-312-6514 or <a href=\"mailto:tatumte@aafes.com\">tatumte@aafes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Follow the Exchange:<\/p>\n<p>Facebook: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/shopmyexchange\/\">www.facebook.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n<p>X: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/shopmyexchange\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Instagram: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/shopmyexchange\/\">@shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DALLAS \u2013 It\u2019s time to celebrate the children of our Nation\u2019s heroes for Month of the Military Child. Established in 1986 by former Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger, Month of the Military Child is celebrated by the Department of War annually in April and recognizes more than 1.6 million military children. These children face unique experiences [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":313,"featured_media":12252,"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":[25,313],"tags":[160,174,106,107,63,91,33,57],"class_list":["post-12250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press_releases","category-sweepstakes","tag-aafes","tag-army-air-force-exchange-service","tag-army-and-air-force-exchange-service","tag-exchange","tag-military-children","tag-month-of-the-military-child","tag-press-release","tag-sweepstakes"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2026\/03\/24\/operation-celebration-army-air-force-exchange-service-to-salute-military-kids\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Operation Celebration: Army &#038; Air Force Exchange Service to Salute Military Kids","url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2026\/03\/24\/operation-celebration-army-air-force-exchange-service-to-salute-military-kids\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2026\/03\/24\/operation-celebration-army-air-force-exchange-service-to-salute-military-kids\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/030526-ExPost_MOMC-e1773424479247.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/030526-ExPost_MOMC-e1773424479247.jpg"},"articleSection":"Press Releases","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Teonja Tatum"}],"creator":["Teonja Tatum"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Exchange Newsroom","logo":""},"keywords":["aafes","army &amp; air force exchange service","army and air force exchange service","exchange","military children","month of the military child","press release","sweepstakes"],"dateCreated":"2026-03-24T15:00:03Z","datePublished":"2026-03-24T15:00:03Z","dateModified":"2026-03-24T15:00:03Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Operation Celebration: Army &#038; Air Force Exchange Service to Salute Military Kids\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/publicaffairs-sme.com\\\/ExchangePost\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/24\\\/operation-celebration-army-air-force-exchange-service-to-salute-military-kids\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/publicaffairs-sme.com\\\/ExchangePost\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/24\\\/operation-celebration-army-air-force-exchange-service-to-salute-military-kids\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/publicaffairs-sme.com\\\/ExchangePost\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/030526-ExPost_MOMC-e1773424479247.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/publicaffairs-sme.com\\\/ExchangePost\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/030526-ExPost_MOMC-e1773424479247.jpg\"},\"articleSection\":\"Press Releases\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Teonja Tatum\"}],\"creator\":[\"Teonja Tatum\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"The Exchange Newsroom\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"aafes\",\"army &amp; air force exchange service\",\"army and air force exchange service\",\"exchange\",\"military children\",\"month of the military child\",\"press release\",\"sweepstakes\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2026-03-24T15:00:03Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-24T15:00:03Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-24T15:00:03Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/030526-ExPost_MOMC-e1773424479247.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3572,"url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2019\/03\/21\/exchange-salutes-military-children-in-april-for-month-of-the-military-child\/","url_meta":{"origin":12250,"position":0},"title":"Exchange Salutes Military Children in April for Month of the Military Child","author":"Marisa Conner","date":"March 21, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"DALLAS \u2013 The Army & Air Force Exchange Service is honoring the sacrifice and resiliency of military children throughout April with in-store events and giveaways as well as online sweepstakes in honor of the Month of the Military Child. \u201cMilitary children are our Nation\u2019s youngest heroes,\u201d said Air Force Chief\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Press Releases&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Press Releases","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/category\/categories\/press_releases\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Exchange Salutes Military Children in April for Month of the Military Child","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/A_WK14_PopUp-1-e1553182486727.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/A_WK14_PopUp-1-e1553182486727.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/A_WK14_PopUp-1-e1553182486727.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/03\/A_WK14_PopUp-1-e1553182486727.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11180,"url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2025\/03\/25\/celebrate-month-of-the-military-child-with-the-army-air-force-exchange-service\/","url_meta":{"origin":12250,"position":1},"title":"Celebrate Month of the Military Child with the Army &amp; Air Force Exchange Service","author":"Travis Day","date":"March 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"DALLAS \u2013 The Army & Air Force Exchange Service is saluting our Nation\u2019s youngest heroes worldwide in celebration of Month of the Military Child. Throughout April, the Exchange will celebrate with free events, giveaways, activities and sweepstakes for military children. \u201cThe Exchange is all in to make sure our youngest\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Press Releases&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Press Releases","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/category\/categories\/press_releases\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/MOMC2025_c70a1e.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/MOMC2025_c70a1e.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/MOMC2025_c70a1e.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/MOMC2025_c70a1e.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":665,"url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2017\/04\/03\/exchange-celebrates-month-of-the-military-child-with-giveaways-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":12250,"position":2},"title":"Exchange Celebrates Month of the Military Child with Giveaways","author":"Marisa Conner","date":"April 3, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"DALLAS \u2013 For military children, there is no \u201chometown,\u201d only home: the United States Armed Forces. Despite constant moves, school changes and goodbyes to best friends, military children stand resilient in the face of challenge. To honor this sacrifice and dedication, the Exchange is offering three sweepstakes in celebration of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Press Releases&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Press Releases","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/category\/categories\/press_releases\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/03\/X_Favicon-296x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":678,"url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2017\/04\/13\/exchange-restaurants-celebrate-month-of-the-military-child-with-free-treats-april-21\/","url_meta":{"origin":12250,"position":3},"title":"Exchange Restaurants Celebrate Month of the Military Child with Free Treats April 21","author":"Marisa Conner","date":"April 13, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"DALLAS \u2013 The Army & Air Force Exchange Service will recognize military children on April 21 by offering a free treat to any child who wears purple to a participating Exchange restaurant. The Exchange is holding the global event in recognition of Purple Up Day, when military families worldwide don\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Press Releases&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Press Releases","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/category\/categories\/press_releases\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/04\/33173821804_c30cf608e3_o-237x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6434,"url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2021\/03\/30\/they-serve-too-army-air-force-exchange-service-celebrates-month-of-the-military-child-in-april\/","url_meta":{"origin":12250,"position":4},"title":"They Serve Too! Army &#038; Air Force Exchange Service Celebrates Month of the Military Child in April","author":"Marisa Conner","date":"March 30, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"DALLAS \u2013 The Army & Air Force Exchange Service is committed to making life better for military communities\u2014including our youngest heroes. The Exchange is celebrating the 2021 Month of the Military Child with virtual events, activities, games and giveaways throughout April. \u201cMilitary children are often likened to dandelions because they\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Events&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/category\/categories\/events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/03\/MOMC-square-1-e1617116773309.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/03\/MOMC-square-1-e1617116773309.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/03\/MOMC-square-1-e1617116773309.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/03\/MOMC-square-1-e1617116773309.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1636,"url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2018\/03\/21\/exchange-celebrates-military-brats-throughout-april-for-month-of-the-military-child\/","url_meta":{"origin":12250,"position":5},"title":"Exchange Celebrates Military Brats Throughout April for Month of the Military Child","author":"Julie Mitchell","date":"March 21, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"DALLAS \u2013The Army & Air Force Exchange Service is saluting military brats\u2014our nation\u2019s youngest heroes\u2014throughout April with in-store events and giveaways as well as ShopMyExchange.com sweepstakes in honor of the Month of the Military Child. \u201cThe resiliency of military children makes it possible for Soldiers and Airmen to remain focused\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Press Releases&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Press Releases","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/category\/categories\/press_releases\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Exchange Celebrates Military Brats Throughout April for Month of the Military Child","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/End-Cap-Panel-JPeg-1-e1521649609894.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/End-Cap-Panel-JPeg-1-e1521649609894.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/End-Cap-Panel-JPeg-1-e1521649609894.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/03\/End-Cap-Panel-JPeg-1-e1521649609894.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Q7PG-3bA","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/313"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12250"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12303,"href":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12250\/revisions\/12303"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}