in to provide a morale boost to Soldiers and military families
by giving them access to Facebook interviews with show
business stars and rising talent. AAFES personnel conducted
interviews with celebrities and musical guests such as actors
Mark Wahlberg and Max Martini, country singer Scooter Brown,
country-rocker Cory Marks, Texas country-singer Travis Smith,
and the rock band Islander.
Service members and families were given the opportunity to
comment on the interviews during “Tune-In Tuesday,” “Tune-In
Thursday” or “Chief Chat” and have their questions read live.
The celebrity chats turned out to be a big morale boost for
participants. They demonstrated the adaptability of the Army’s
MWR programs in improving the lives of service members and
families in seemingly small ways. That is MWR’s mission, which
it has been doing well for about 125 years now under different
The Army took a few small steps to
include families in its morale programs.
It created the Army Community Services
(1965), a Youth Activities Program
(1968), and Outdoor Recreation
Program (1971).
names in small and large ways. Wait a minute! The Army is 245
years old. Why the time lag?
The Army had been in existence for 120 years before it established
its first post exchange (PX) in 1895 to serve Soldiers. That replaced
the old “Post Trader” system. There was no central oversight
Soldiers of 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd
Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne
Division purchase items from an Army and Air Force
Exchange Service mobile post exchange store at a
remote base in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan
border. Photo Credit: US Army photo.
46 ARMY 245: Call to Duty