AAFES Revs Up Service with Firestone Care Car Centers

     The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) is teaming up with Firestone Complete Auto Care to provide services at 30 Army posts and Air Force bases throughout the continental United States.

     The partnership has already brought Firestone Care Centers’ tire and battery, oil, brake, alignment, steering/suspension and general automotive repair services onto several installations, including Ft. Hood, Scott AFB and Ft. Sill. More

Army Lab Works to Improve Soldier Health, Performance

     Nestled in the shadows of the Boston skyline, scientists and soldiers in a one-of-a-kind Army laboratory work quietly behind the scenes to improve the health and performance of today’s troops.

     Though it’s known to relatively few outside of scientific and academic circles, the lab’s work leaves its fingerprint on nearly everything soldiers eat, wear and use.

     The U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine is housed on a leafy, waterside post at the Soldier Systems Center, alongside a handful of other military research and development agencies. But while those agencies are busy readying the force with rations, clothes and gear, the environmental medicine lab focuses on the physiological effects those items have on the soldier.  More

Military Spouses Thank Gates for Support

     Since he took office two and a half years ago, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has traveled the world talking with troops about their service and sacrifices.

     At each meeting, the secretary is careful to thank the troops’ families, recognizing their sacrifices as well.

     Today, the spouses thanked him back.

     Gates was awarded the Support for Military Families Award by the National Military Family Association at the annual Joint Armed Forces Officers’ Wives’ Luncheon at Bolling Air Force Base.  More

Commissary Connection

WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?

"SPRINGTIME IS GRILLTIME" Helping on the Homefront Event

      During June Clorox brands are promoting family togetherness for commissary customers by helping you barbecue at home. To support the homefront, Clorox will give away 10 shopping sprees worth $100 each through a sweepstakes on www.HelpingOnTheHomeFront.com.  This website also offers coupons, game day recipes, interactive games, grilling videos and tailgating tips.  Look for displays of Kingsford, Matchlight, Glad, Hidden Valley and KC Masterpiece products, as well as brochures with coupons for grilling-related products at your local commissary.  More

2009 Spring/Summer Baby Book Making Special Deliveries

     Whether it’s a boy or a girl, twins or triplets, the arrival of the 2009 Spring/Summer Baby Book has more than 50 pages of name brand essentials including strollers, car seats, video and sound monitors, clothing and furniture for military Families’ newest recruits. From cover to cover, shoppers will find items from newborn to early adolescent as well as merchandise for expectant moms, new dads and doting grandparents.  

     “This catalog is ideal for meeting the needs of new or soon-to-be military moms and dads,” said Chief Marketing Officer Mat Dromey. “With page after page of high-quality merchandise, it offers a wide array of economical, time saving products designed to make like easier for busy military parents.”  More

Marine Sings his Patriotism 

   Sitting in the desert, a thousand miles from home, an infantryman with 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, thinks about his lifetime and all the songs he wrote.

     Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Stephen D. Davis, deployed to Iraq’s Anbar province and winner of a recent talent show here, started playing the guitar when his parents bought him his first one when he was 10 years old. After learning a few chords from his dad, he spent a lot of time listening and watching others play, learning as he went.    More

PepsiCo Launches GrowMyRestaurant.com

     A new PepsiCo resource devoted to growing the foodservice trade is coming online, bringing valuable data and insights to restaurant operators within one click at GrowMyRestaurant.com. 

     GrowMyRestaurant.com is designed to assist foodservice operators at a time when their businesses need it most. By providing information and tools via a one-stop shop that address an operator’s most pressing needs-- such as driving traffic, growing average check, managing employees and understanding their customers and competition - GrowMyRetaurant.com delivers powerful business-building solutions to the fingertips of restaurant operators. More

BXs and PXs Offer Valuable Learning Experience for Students Making the Grade

     According to the Department of Defense, children of active-duty military personnel attend, on average, six to nine different school systems from kindergarten to twelfth grade.

     As a military command with a motto of “we go where you go,” the Army & Air Force Exchange Service is, understandably, attuned to the unique challenges military children face in their educational pursuits.

     Beyond being a destination for school supplies and clothes, BXs and PXs even offer an array of free and discounted products to students who excel in the classroom through it’s “You Made the Grade” program.   More

“Click to Brick” Brings Select Exchange Online Store Merchandise to Brick and Mortar BXs and PXs

     Military shoppers who prefer the ease and comfort of internet shopping but not the shipping costs associated with it can now take advantage of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service’s (AAFES) “Click to Brick” program.

     A service that offers free shipping of select Exchange Online Store orders to participating exchanges in the continental United States, “Click to Brick” allows convenient in-store access to various items, including some that aren’t normally even available in the BX/PX. More than 115 items are currently part of the “Click to Brick” program, with that number expected to approach 500 by year end.  More

Military Unites With Hollywood on ‘Transformers’

     “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” hits theaters nationwide tomorrow as the culmination of more than a year of Defense Department support, ranging from script and uniform notes to C-17 aerial maneuvers and jumps from the Army's Golden Knights parachute demonstration team.

     The first Transformers film released in July 2007 used a variety of Air Force assets. In the latest film, DreamWorks and Paramount studios partnered with all four services to highlight America's military members and combat power on the big screen. Deciding how and why to work with the services was essential in making the film work, producers said.   More

Web Site to Open Sign-Ups for Post-9/11 GI Bill Transfers

     It’s official. The Defense Department signed off yesterday on policies and procedures servicemembers will use to transfer their unused Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to their spouses or children, a Pentagon official said today.

     Eligible servicemembers will be able to register their immediate family members to receive those benefits when a new Defense Department Web site goes live June 29, according to Bob Clark, the Pentagon’s assistant director for accessions policy.    More

    2009 Jewelry and Gifts Exchange Catalog Delivers Style and Sparkle at Incredible Values   

With a wide selection of name brand timepieces, beautiful diamond, gemstone and pearl jewelry along with luxurious giftware, the 2009 Jewelry and Gifts Exchange catalog has the perfect item for any taste, budget or occasion.

     The new catalog boasts 48 colorful pages of jewelry and gifts in a dazzling array of styles, including the exclusive Eco-Gem World collection, a line of environmentally-conscious jewelry made from conflict-free diamonds and eco-friendly, recycled materials.     

     With a wide selection of name brand timepieces, beautiful diamond, gemstone and pearl jewelry along with luxurious giftware, the 2009 Jewelry and Gifts Exchange catalog has the perfect item for any taste, budget or occasion.  More