Photo By Brittany Trumbull | Walter Wilkinson, head Fort Rucker Commissary bagger, loads groceries for a customer...... read more read more
FORT RUCKER, Ala. — Surrounded by family, coworkers, and loyal customers, longtime commissary bagger Walter “Walt” Wilkinson reached an extraordinary milestone of 50 years serving Fort Rucker one bag-and one smile-at a time.
The celebration began with a prayer from Chaplain (Capt.) Travis Wilson, 110th Aviation Brigade chaplain, who reminded attendees that it’s “people like Walt that keep us coming back to this place called the commissary.”
“It’s not really the food that brings us back,” Chaplain Wilson said. “It’s people — the atmosphere, the experience, and that welcome with a big smile and great conversation. Through people like Walt, we’re reminded that we are far too blessed to be stressed.”
Wilkinson, known to generations of Fort Rucker soldiers and their families for his infectious joy in the checkout line, began working at the commissary when he was just 18 years old. Having grown up in Bellwood, Alabama, he said he was drawn to the installation for a good job but stayed because of the respectful military community.
“I love people,” Wilkinson said. “The environment here, the customers and the staff, it just immediately felt like home. Fort Rucker has always been a blessing to me.”
Fifty years ago, the commissary operated out of old barracks buildings across the railroad tracks near the Daleville Gate. Just three weeks after Wilkinson started, operations moved to a building next to the current post exchange. The commissary later relocated to its present site on Division Road on July 15, 2015.
Wilkinson said that this community has carried him through difficult times, including a health scare in the late 1990’s when the commissary patrons and employees came together to help cover his needs financially, physically and spiritually.
“Sometimes I had bad times, sometimes I had sad times,” he said. “You all helped me through it. You’re all part of my 50 years. Fort Rucker is my life”
While Wilkinson takes pride in his role as a commissary bagger, he said family will always come first.
“My love, my wife, passed away three years ago this week,” he said. “It’s been really hard, but we have a son and three grandsons who are the loves of my life.”
Wilkinson’s cousin and sister-in-law, Linda Boykin, shared about his character which continues beyond his place of employment.
“He’s not just an awesome man here; he’s an awesome man of God,” she said. “He kept a small country church going for many years. Walt built it, renovated it, made sure the pastors had everything they needed. That heart is just who he is.”
Wilkinson plans to keep working at the commissary, possibly part time, for as long as he’s able.
“I’m a workaholic,” he said with a laugh. “I’m not one to go home and sit down in front of the TV or play on a cell phone. Working keeps me young, and I feel really good.”
As the ceremony closed, applause and praise filled the front of the store, a testament to five decades of quiet service that made Wilkinson a pillar of the Fort Rucker community and of the installation’s history.
“Walt’s impact goes far beyond bagging groceries,” Chaplain Wilson said. “It’s ministry in motion — one smile at a time.”
Find more photos here https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCwXmv .
| Date Taken: | 11.13.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.01.2025 11:15 |
| Story ID: | 552606 |
| Location: | FORT RUCKER, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 8 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The Heart of the Commissary: Walt Wilkinson celebrates 50 years serving Fort Rucker, by Brittany Trumbull, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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