SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE – For nearly 50 years, Jene Myers has been a fixture at the Sheppard Air Force Base Exchange, working mostly behind the scenes to ensure Airmen, families and retirees are taken care of.

For decades, Myers has stayed true to her mission of serving Team Sheppard through her part-time job with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service. Her decades of service and love for the military are a testament to the Exchange’s core value of family serving family.

“I like to help people,” Myers said. “I’m a people person.”

Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Sean Applegate, the Exchange’s senior enlisted advisor, recently honored Myers for her service by presenting her with his challenge coin during his visit to Sheppard.

“Jene has had a remarkable career, dedicating her life to serving Team Sheppard,” Applegate said. “Her passion for the Exchange’s mission is an inspiration to others.”

Myers’ first job at the Sheppard Exchange —which paid $1.15 per hour—was serving drinks and pizza to Airmen at the old beer garden in 1966. She left the Exchange briefly in the late ’60s and came back in 1970, continuing to work in food service until 1980, when she took a job in the warehouse. Since then, she’s held a variety of jobs, from offloading trucks to handling damage/defective merchandise.

She tried to retire once, back in 2002. Within in a few months, her boss called, asking her to come back. Myers found she missed serving Airmen and accepted the offer, returning to the Sheppard Exchange as a stocker in 2003. She’s been in that role ever since.

In fact, out of all her Exchange jobs, the 68-year-old likes stocking the best. She’s even gotten to know some of the Airmen and retirees who shop at Sheppard, ensuring her regular customers fine exactly what they need.

“It makes me feel good to help others,” the Wichita Falls resident said. “The good Lord lets me work. I feel like I’m accomplishing something.”

Assistant Store Manager Sandra Roberts praised Myers for a job well done. Myers, Roberts explained, ensures the housewares section, including linens and small appliances, stays well-stocked. This is crucial because many Airmen at Sheppard are young and are looking for the very household items Myers stocks.

“Jene is just awesome,” said Roberts, who’s worked with Myers for the last seven years. “We just love her to death.”

As she approaches a half century of serving Team Sheppard, Myers hasn’t thought much about slowing down. She credits her long career to hard work and strong faith. She’ll continue at the Exchange, meeting the needs of Sheppard’s Airmen, families and retirees, as long as she can.

“Even though you have ups and downs, good times and bad times, you have to go on,” Myers said of her long career. “You have to go on and ask for strength and just push forward.”

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The Army & Air Force Exchange Service goes where Soldiers, Airmen and their families go to improve the quality of their lives through goods and services provided. Exchange earnings provide dividends to support military morale, welfare and recreation programs. The Exchange is part of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors, responsible to the Secretaries of the Army and Air Force through the Chiefs of Staff. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our Web site at http://www.aafes.com/about-exchange/public-affairs/press-releases.htm or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ExchangePAO.

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Media Notes:

For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Julie Mitchell, 214-312-3327 or [email protected].

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 30th, 2016 at 13:33 and is filed under Press Release. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.