{"id":1320,"date":"2018-01-19T15:57:24","date_gmt":"2018-01-19T15:57:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/?p=1320"},"modified":"2018-02-01T18:22:34","modified_gmt":"2018-02-01T18:22:34","slug":"four-legged-friends-win-joint-base-mdl-service-member-1000-grand-prize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2018\/01\/19\/four-legged-friends-win-joint-base-mdl-service-member-1000-grand-prize\/","title":{"rendered":"Four-Legged Friends Win Joint Base MDL Service Member $1,000 Grand Prize"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"JOINT BASE McGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST \u2013<\/strong> A local service member\u2019s photogenic canine companions have fetched her a $1,000 Army & Air Force Exchange Service gift card, the grand prize in the Exchange\u2019s worldwide Holiday Pet Photo Contest.<\/p>\n

Staff Sgt. Amber Knickman of the New Jersey National Guard<\/a> received the prize at the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Exchange on Jan. 12. Knickman\u2019s winning photo<\/a> showed her two goldendoodles, Valor, 1, and Brody, 5, draped in Christmas lights, with the punny phrase \u201cDood We\u2019re Lit\u201d displayed between them.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of military members have pets, and I\u2019m sure a lot of them entered, so I was honestly surprised and excited that I won,\u201d Knickman said. \u201cI\u2019m sure we can put the prize to good use\u2014probably spoiling these guys since I know the Exchange has a great pet selection.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teo Smith, Exchange general manager, said the Exchange was pleased to honor Knickman\u2019s service\u2014and her furry friends\u2019 support\u2014with the gift cards.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor many service members, pets are more than just best friends\u2014they\u2019re family,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Exchange is honored to help service members celebrate this time-honored tradition with $1,000 in spending money at the Exchange.\u201d<\/p>\n

Knickman enlisted in the Army in 2007, deploying to Iraq in 2009 and transitioning to the National Guard in 2014. She is assigned to Joint Base MDL and lives in Morrisville, Pa., with her wife, Sarah Levan.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t the first time Knickman\u2019s four-legged friends have paid off. In 2014, she and Levan won a weeklong cruise to the Caribbean after a photo of Brody led the pack in a photo contest held by Carnival Cruise Line.<\/p>\n

The biggest gift Valor and Brody have given Knickman, however, is their companionship.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re definitely a huge stress reliever,\u201d she said. \u201cI have anxiety, so it\u2019s hard for me to talk to new people. If I have dogs with me, I\u2019m chatty Cathy. They make me feel comfortable around people. If I had a bad day, they\u2019ll cheer me up when I get home. I can\u2019t be mad around them. They\u2019re too funny. They\u2019re too cute.\u201d<\/p>\n

Facebook Friendly Version:<\/strong><\/p>\n

New Jersey National Guard Staff Sgt. Amber Knickman\u2019s canine companions fetched her a $1,000 Army & Air Force Exchange Service gift card, the grand prize in the Exchange\u2019s Holiday Pet Photo Contest. Read more at http:\/\/bit.ly\/2BfZnsD<\/a>.<\/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. As the 56th-largest retailer in the United States, Exchange 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 Conner Hammett, 214-312-2714 or hammettc@aafes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Follow the Exchange:
\nFacebook:\u00a0 www.facebook.com\/shopmyexchange
\n<\/a>Twitter:\u00a0 https:\/\/twitter.com\/shopmyexchange
\n<\/a>Instagram: @shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

JOINT BASE McGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST \u2013 A local service member\u2019s photogenic canine companions have fetched her a $1,000 Army & Air Force Exchange Service gift card, the grand prize in the Exchange\u2019s worldwide Holiday Pet Photo Contest. Staff Sgt. Amber Knickman of the New Jersey National Guard received the prize at the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Exchange on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":1404,"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":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2018\/01\/19\/four-legged-friends-win-joint-base-mdl-service-member-1000-grand-prize\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Four-Legged Friends Win Joint Base MDL Service Member $1,000 Grand Prize","url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2018\/01\/19\/four-legged-friends-win-joint-base-mdl-service-member-1000-grand-prize\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2018\/01\/19\/four-legged-friends-win-joint-base-mdl-service-member-1000-grand-prize\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/DSC_0111-1024x800-F-1024x800-F-e1517509146431.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/DSC_0111-1024x800-F-1024x800-F-e1517509146431.jpg"},"articleSection":"Uncategorized","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Marisa Conner"}],"creator":["Marisa Conner"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Exchange Newsroom","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2018-01-19T15:57:24Z","datePublished":"2018-01-19T15:57:24Z","dateModified":"2018-02-01T18:22:34Z"},"rendered":"