“We’re basically doing the same jobs as we would back in the states. For the troops,  they have a wider variety of stores to shop at and many times, they don’t recognize the added value of shopping with AAFES.  Here in Afghanistan, troops realize

An Altus Air Force Base AAFES associate volunteered to deploy to Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan to support U.S. troops. Christine Stallwood, originally from Macon, Ga., has been working for AAFES for 16 years and the deployment was an important decision for her.

Asked how she ended up in Altus, Stallwood said, “I’m a mobile manager, which means I relocate every few years much like the military.  While stationed at Camp Fuji, Japan, I received orders to relocate to the Altus area.”

Stallwood is an Assistant Store Manager at Altus AFB main store and the ASST. Team Leader/Sales and merchandise Manager at the Kandahar Air Field main store. Asked why she decided to volunteer to deploy, Stallwood said, “I wanted to show my appreciation to the U.S. military by being there for them.  During these times, I realize how much Associates, like myself, are needed here to support the troops.  My youngest daughter is a captain in the Army and I realize that she’ll deploy and I hope other Associates will be there for her and support her as I’m doing for the troops here.”

Asked about her general feelings on deploying to support the troops, Stallwood responded with, “It’s been a wonderful experience. It’s a lots of hard work and long hours but the satisfaction you get from doing the simplest thing for a troop makes up for all the hardships. You form a bond with the troops and many times the younger ones look to me as a mother figure.

Her family is very supportive of her decision to deploy. “For the most part, there very proud of me and think that I’m very brave.  My daughter jokes that if I were in the military, I’d have more combat duty ribbons than she does,” Stallwood said.

Asked of the morale of the troops in her area, Stallwood said, “The U.S. troops seem to be very upbeat and proud of the fact that they are supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. The troops also appreciate the presence of AAFES in the area. “AAFES brings a piece of home to them and being able to get items that there familiar with drives that point home even more.  We’re truly the ‘Mall of America’ for them,” Stallwood added.

Asked of the big selling items in the area Stallwood said, “Energy drinks such as Monster and Red Bull, tobacco products, electronics such as iPods & Zunes and DVDs are very good sellers.” Asked of what is the biggest difference between working for AAFES at Altus AFB and Kandahar Air Field, Stallwood said, “We’re basically doing the same jobs as we would back in the states. For the troops,  they have a wider variety of stores to shop at and many times, they don’t recognize the added value of shopping with AAFES.  Here in Afghanistan, troops realize that AAFES Associates volunteer to deploy and they appreciate the sacrifice.”

Stallwood is the mother of Yashica Trevira Rushin and La Tonya Chenelle Hines.