{"id":1912,"date":"2018-05-06T22:26:18","date_gmt":"2018-05-06T22:26:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/?p=1912"},"modified":"2018-05-07T13:31:32","modified_gmt":"2018-05-07T13:31:32","slug":"exchange-shoppers-flock-to-fort-benning-for-exclusive-mark-wahlberg-meet-and-greet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2018\/05\/06\/exchange-shoppers-flock-to-fort-benning-for-exclusive-mark-wahlberg-meet-and-greet\/","title":{"rendered":"Exchange Shoppers Flock to Fort Benning for Exclusive Mark Wahlberg Meet-and-Greet"},"content":{"rendered":"

FORT BENNING \u2013<\/strong>Army wife Rachel Lynch couldn\u2019t pass up the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet one of her childhood idols. Lynch and several of her friends, clad in custom-made T-shirts, arrived at the Fort Benning Exchange on May 5 at 9 a.m., three hours before actor Mark Wahlberg<\/a> was scheduled to arrive for a meet-and-greet with service members and their families<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was my childhood dream, and I\u2019ve followed him through his music career, commercials and movies since I was 8 years old,\u201d Lynch said. \u201cI think it\u2019s amazing that he\u2019s taken time out of his busy schedule to meet with the military and their families. We really do appreciate it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Wahlberg, a staunch supporter of the military who portrayed Navy SEAL and sniper Marcus Luttrell in \u201cLone Survivor,\u201d was in Atlanta filming a movie and wanted to show his appreciation for the troops by making an exclusive appearance at the Fort Benning Exchange. He walked throughout the store, giving fist bumps, signing items and allowing fans to photograph him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny chance I get to thank our brave men and women, I\u2019m going to take it,\u201d said Wahlberg, whose father served in the Army during the Korean War. \u201cI was already in Atlanta and found out Fort Benning was only two hours away, so I had to be here. It\u2019s an honor to be able to show my appreciation for those brave enough to put on the uniform and defend our country.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the approximately 2,000 in attendance<\/a>, the fact that Wahlberg wanted to show his appreciation was not lost on them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came here to buy sheets and found out he was going to be here,\u201d said Spc. James Smith. \u201cI find it very respectable that, with his very busy schedule, he would take the time out of his day to spend some time with us. It\u2019s just a really nice thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Fort Benning Exchange General Manager Don Sydlik\u00a0and his team, the meet-and-greet highlighted the unique value the Department of Defense retailer offers Soldiers and families.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a privilege to host Mark Wahlberg,\u201d Sydlik said. \u201cExchange associates were all in to make sure the event was a memorable experience for the Fort Benning community.\u201d<\/p>\n

For those who couldn\u2019t make it to see Walberg in person, the Exchange shared the event live on Facebook. Visit www.facebook\/shopmyexchange<\/a> or here<\/a> and here<\/a> to see the action, and view photos from the event here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Facebook-friendly version: <\/strong>Hollywood star and staunch military supporter Mark Wahlberg makes an exclusive appearance at the Fort Benning Exchange to meet and greet Soldiers and families. Wahlberg says: \u201cAny chance I get to thank our brave men and women, I\u2019m going to take it.\u201d \u00a0<\/strong>Read more:\u00a0 https:\/\/bit.ly\/2rpkEya<\/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. 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 website 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

\u00a0<\/strong>For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Chris Ward, 214-312-3861 or wardchr@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":"

FORT BENNING \u2013Army wife Rachel Lynch couldn\u2019t pass up the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet one of her childhood idols. Lynch and several of her friends, clad in custom-made T-shirts, arrived at the Fort Benning Exchange on May 5 at 9 a.m., three hours before actor Mark Wahlberg was scheduled to arrive for a meet-and-greet with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":1917,"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":[],"class_list":["post-1912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press_releases"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2018\/05\/06\/exchange-shoppers-flock-to-fort-benning-for-exclusive-mark-wahlberg-meet-and-greet\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Exchange Shoppers Flock to Fort Benning for Exclusive Mark Wahlberg Meet-and-Greet","url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2018\/05\/06\/exchange-shoppers-flock-to-fort-benning-for-exclusive-mark-wahlberg-meet-and-greet\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2018\/05\/06\/exchange-shoppers-flock-to-fort-benning-for-exclusive-mark-wahlberg-meet-and-greet\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/05\/DSC03593-1-e1525645476210.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/05\/DSC03593-1-e1525645476210.jpg"},"articleSection":"Press Releases","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Julie Mitchell"}],"creator":["Julie Mitchell"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Exchange Newsroom","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2018-05-06T22:26:18Z","datePublished":"2018-05-06T22:26:18Z","dateModified":"2018-05-07T13:31:32Z"},"rendered":"