AAFES goes where troops are

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Debbie Aragon
  • 407th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
TALLIL AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  When orders come down for troops to move to forward-deployed locations worldwide, they quickly pack their bags and go. After that, it is only a matter of time before a small contingent of civilians pack their bags as well.

They are Army and Air Force Exchange Service workers.

Mr. Allan Heasty is the general manager for southern Iraq which includes three bases. He and his staff operate the main base/post exchange here and the shoppette in Air Force “tent city.”

When the exchange service first arrived more than a year ago, things were much different than they are today, said Mr. Heasty, the general manager at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

“We were operating out of a couple of trailers with pallets,” he said. “Troops were moving north so we had to be mobile to follow behind them and set up.”

The base’s AAFES facilities are much improved and more permanent now, he said.

A monumental improvement was felt recently in the form of air conditioning to the main base/post exchange.

“We recently received reliable electricity which means air conditioning … a big thing this time of year,” Mr. Heasty said.

And, it does not stop there. More improvements and expanded services are on the way.

AAFES recently opened a photo-processing center, and rug and gift shop near the exchange, and employees will be rearranging the inside of the store within the next couple of months. In the coming weeks, Mr. Heasty said he also expects a new product scanning system to be in place which will mean more accurate prices and allow customers to use debit cards.

“It will allow our customers to get $20 cash back during debit transactions and save them having to go to finance to get needed cash,” he explained.

Although the main facility here is the second largest in Iraq, it is still classified as a tactical-field exchange, Mr. Heasty said.

“Because of that, we’re limited to a certain stock assortment. There are a lot of things -- nice to have items -- we can’t get because we’re still in a war zone.”

Even with that restriction, Mr. Heasty’s staff “goes to great lengths to expand it,” he said.

“Bicycles for example … We weren’t authorized to stock them but saw a need here,” he said.

Mr. Heasty and his staff also assist customers with catalog orders.

“It’s another way to expand our stock assortment,” he said. “We’ve come a long way, but there’s always room for improvements.”

Michael Battle, who has worked here for 11 months, is one of 12 U.S. civilians employed here by AAFES. All in all, there are about 120 people AAFES employees here, including third country nationals and a handful of local Iraqis.

As with all American AAFES employees, Mr. Battle, the Burger King manager at Fort Carson, Colo., volunteered to deploy to Iraq.

“(I volunteered to come to Iraq) because of Sept. 11 (2001) and the fact that I’m prior military,” Mr. Battle said. He served in the Air Force for 10 years as a weather specialist.

Asked how his family feels about him being here, Mr. Battle said, “My brother and sister think I’m crazy, but since I’m prior military, they know I can take care of myself.”

Being in Iraq can be difficult for most people, especially getting acclimated to the heat.

“Getting used to the heat is hard, that and getting used to not having the things you’re used to having like free time,” Mr. Battle said, “but you’ve just got to suck it up.”

Leconte Heard, a procurement assistant at AAFES headquarters in Dallas, runs the shoppette. She said she volunteered to deploy here for the “challenge, the experience of something different and to see if I could do it.” Her boss and team in Dallas were very supportive, she said.

“They were behind me 100 percent, and that makes me feel good,” she said.

Arriving about six weeks ago, Ms. Heard’s family has mixed feelings about her serving the troops in a combat zone.

“My sister is really proud of me, my mom is adjusting to it, and my grandmother is mostly nervous for me. They all support me though.”

Even with the heat and sometimes difficult conditions, Mr. Battle, who is scheduled to return to Colorado later this month, finds great reasons to be here. The best things about being deployed, Mr. Battle said, “are the Soldiers and Airmen -- absolutely. (By being here) we get to do something for them, to let them know someone cares.”

Mr. Heasty has worked for AAFES more than 30 years, but this is his first deployment. He chose to deploy here because he “wanted to serve our customers in a place where they really needed to be served,” he said. “And, I’d do it again. It’s been very satisfying.”