MAJOR GENERAL CHARLES J. WAX Maj. Gen. Charles J. Wax is Commander, Army and Air Force Exchange Service, with headquarters in Dallas, Texas. General Wax commands a $7.5 billion retail, food and services business that operates approximately 12,000 facilities in 29 countries and 50 states. AAFES employs more than 52,000 associates, many of them military family members. The exchange service is a military organization that provides quality merchandise and services at uniformly low prices to active duty, National Guard, Reserve members, military retirees and their families. AAFES returns its earnings to the Army and Air Force to help fund qualify of life programs for military families. General Wax graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1969 and completed pilot training the following year. His early assignments include flying the C-141 and C-130, and serving at a forward operating location in Thailand. The general was one of two team chiefs in the Southwest Asia Airlift Control Center responsible for the evacuation of Saigon, South Vietnam, and Phnom Penh, Cambodia. General Wax has served at the Air Force Office of Information, handled strategic airlift assignments for Air Force personnel operations, and managed secretary of defense competitive strategy programs. He also served as the Director of Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany. General Waxs assignments include commanding a provisional airlift wing during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, two stateside airlift wings and the Tanker Airlift Control Center, as well as the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. He is a command pilot with more than 4,600 flying hours.EDUCATION1969 Bachelor's degree in international relations and political science, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. 1973 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. 1977 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 1979 Master's degree in systems management, University of Southern California 1981 National Security Management Course 1987 National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. 1993 Executive Development Course, University of New Hampshire 1997 Seminar XXI, Foreign Political and International Relations, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyASSIGNMENTS1. July 1969 - August 1970, student, pilot training, Webb AFB, Texas 2. August 1970 - November 1973, C-141 pilot, 14th Military Airlift Squadron, Norton AFB, Calif. 3. November 1973 - August 1975, C-130 pilot, 374th Tactical Airlift Wing, Clark Air Base, Philippines 4. August 1975 - June 1978, action officer, Community Relations and Public Information divisions, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force Office of Information, Washington, D.C. 5. June 1978 - June 1979, special assistant, Secretary of the Air Force Office of Information, Washington, D.C. 6. June 1979 - October 1981, C-141 pilot; chief of squadron operations and squadron standardization; assistant operations officer; and wing executive officer, 438th Military Airlift Wing, McGuire AFB, N.J. 7. October 1981 - June 1982, Assistant Chief, Flight Standards Division, Headquarters 21st Air Force, McGuire AFB, N.J. 8. June 1982 - April 1984, Chief, Strategic Airlift Assignments, Headquarters Air Force Manpower and Personnel Center, Randolph AFB, Texas 9. April 1984 - July 1984, C-141 advance flight instructor pilot, 443rd Technical Training Squadron, Altus AFB, Okla. 10. July 1984 - July 1986, Commander, 443rd Technical Training Squadron, Altus AFB, Okla. 11. July 1986 - June 1987, student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. 12. June 1987 - July 1989, Director, Competitive Strategies Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington, D.C. 13. July 1989 - February 1990, Assistant Chief of Staff, Headquarters Military Airlift Command, Scott AFB, Ill. 14. February 1990 - September 1991, Vice Commander, 60th Military Airlift Wing, Travis AFB, Calif. (Commander, 1640th Tactical Airlift Wing (Provisional), operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm) 15. September 1991 - June 1993, Commander, 314th Airlift Wing, Little Rock AFB, Ark. 16. June 1993 - November 1995, Vice Commander, later, Commander, Tanker Airlift Control Center, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill. 17. November 1995 - November 1996, Commander, 89th Airlift Wing, Andrews AFB, Md. 18. November 1996 - December 1996, Director of Forces, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 19. January 1997 - July 1998, Director of Joint Matters, Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 20. July 1998 - June 2000, Director of Plans and Policy, Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany 21. June 2000 - present, Commander, Army and Air Force Exchange Service, Dallas, TexasFLIGHT INFORMATIONRating: Command pilotFlight hours: More than 4,600Aircraft flown: T/CT-39, C-130, C-141, C-5B, C-20, C-21, UH-1N, C-17A and KC-135RMAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONSDefense Distinguished Service MedalDistinguished Service Medal with oak leaf clusterDefense Superior Service MedalLegion of Merit with oak leaf clusterDefense Meritorious Service MedalMeritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clustersAir MedalAir Force Commendation MedalPROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONSAirlift Tanker AssociationOrder of DaedaliansAir Force AssociationEFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTIONSecond Lieutenant Jun 4, 1969First Lieutenant Dec 4, 1970Captain Jun 4, 1972Major Jun 1, 1980Lieutenant Colonel Mar 1, 1984Colonel Jul 1, 1988Brigadier General Jul 15, 1994Major General Aug 1, 1997 (Current as of October 2002)