AAFES lifting Soldiers morale in Ukraine

Photo By Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Tarr | Soldiers assigned to 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division shop at their local Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) Sept. 19 at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center in Ukraine. The AAFES store opened in early April and has continued to successfully grow, due to the demand of the Soldiers who are deployed in support of the JMTG-U. The mission of JMTG‐U is to increase the training capacity and capability within the Ukrainian Army by working with multinational partners to help build a sustainable combat training center for Ukrainian Soldiers. (Photo by Army Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Tarr)  

YAVORIV, UKRAINE

09.21.2016

Story by Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Tarr 

U.S. Army Europe and Africa     

YAVORIV, Ukraine- -It’s evident in each Soldier’s smile that their morale has been lifted as they stand in line to enter the quaint 10-by-10 room to purchase food and personal hygiene products in an Army and Air Force Exchange Service during their 6-month deployment in Ukraine.

AAFES opened its doors to the Soldiers of the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine in early April and has continued to raise Soldiers morale by bringing them a little taste of America.

Master Sgt. Emily Toomey, a sustainment noncommissioned officer in charge and Staff Sgt. Michael Ford, a logistics NCO for JMTG-U have been the key leaders in the successful set-up of the small store that is located within the International Peacekeeping and Security Center here.

In an effort to get the store up and running, the NCO’s went through two days of training in Germany to learn how to utilize the Eagle Cash Card kiosk. The kiosk system, which is similar to a debit card, allows Soldiers to purchase items without carrying cash.

“When the store initially opened, the majority of the Soldiers didn’t have an Eagle Cash Card to buy products, which required them to use cash,” said Ford.

When the Soldiers paid with cash, the unit would eventually have to fly an individual to Germany to replenish the funding account in order to continue to order merchandise to keep the store stocked with products.

To overcome this challenge, finance personnel from Germany came to the IPSC and issued each Soldier a card, which became more cost effective to keep the store up and running, said Ford.

Ford says the knowledge and experience from his 14 years of work in the logistics field has helped him with opening the store. He is currently on his fourth deployment and said that he can relate to needing a morale boost while deployed.

“Being deployed and being away from everything you love, it’s hard to find some relief because you are constantly going,” said Ford. “It’s rewarding to see them (Soldiers) come through the door after they have been in the field all day and pick some stuff up to boost their morale.”

The store was initially allotted a $10,000 line of credit to purchase products to fill the shelves, but recently was approved to receive $25,000, due to the demand of the Soldiers.

Sgt. Andrew Van Antwerp, a small electronic repairs NCO assigned to 118th Maintenance Company with the California National Guard is currently on his seventh month of deployment and says being able to purchase soups, chips and beef jerky raises his morale and allows him to get a little taste of home.

The store has limited hours, due to limited manpower, but it is still able to bring a bit of happiness to the Soldiers of the IPSC.

“Every time I go into AAFES, I’m reminded of when I was a child and I used to grab all the change from my mother's purse to buy a pop,” said Spc. Yasmin James, a petroleum supply specialist assigned to 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. “I was able to have a pop with my dinner last night and it made my night better.”

“Although the store is small, the vision in the future is to expand it to allow more products on the shelves to better suit the Soldiers needs,” said Toomey.

Approximately 400 American Soldiers are currently serving at the IPSC in Ukraine as part of the Joint Multinational Training Group‐Ukraine. The mission of JMTG‐U is to increase the training capacity and capability within the Ukrainian Army by working with multinational partners to help build a sustainable combat training center for Ukrainian Soldiers.

• Date Taken: 09.21.2016
• Date Posted: 09.21.2016 09:35
• Story ID: 210161
• Location: YAVORIV, UA