Commissaries honor Army's 242 years of service
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FORT LEE, Va. (June 1, 2017) – The U.S. Army marks its 242nd anniversary June 14. On that date in 1775, the Continental Congress established the Army and named George Washington its commanding general.
The Defense Commissary Agency, soon to observe the 150th anniversary of military commissaries on July 1, is proud to salute the entire Army community on their anniversary and continue its delivery of the commissary benefit.
The history of the Army and commissaries goes hand in hand. It was in 1775 that Congress created the Office of the Commissary General of Stores and Purchases to provide the Army's daily rations. Officers in charge of subsistence operations were known as chief commissaries, while their staff consisted of assistant commissaries and commissary sergeants.
Fifty years later, the commissariat, as it was then known, began selling food items – which at the time were also known as commissaries or commissary items – from its warehouses "at cost" to Army officers for their personal use. By 1841, officers could also purchase items for their families.
In the Army's early years, soldiers who were tired of – or unable to get – official rations could buy additional goods from civilian vendors known as "sutlers." While these merchants provided a valuable service, many charged exorbitant prices or sold goods of dubious quality. Because such abuses became commonplace during the Civil War, Congress subsequently allowed soldiers of all ranks to purchase non-ration items from Army subsistence warehouses.
These warehouses with makeshift sales counters were gradually replaced by Army-run grocery stores called "sales commissaries," which sold items at cost, providing soldiers good food at reasonable prices.
When the Army's mission expanded around the world, commissaries followed, first to Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines in 1899, then to China in 1900, Panama in 1904, and France in 1917-18. After World War II, hundreds of stores existed in both hemispheres, serving America's military during the Cold War, and continuing that service today in over 230 locations around the world.
Since their founding in 1867, U.S. military commissaries have existed at more than 1,000 different locations, on every continent except Antarctica. While they were originally created for active-duty Army personnel, the stores gradually were made available to members of every armed service, military retirees, and the immediate family members of all authorized shoppers. Commissaries have been especially important to military families living overseas, and to enlisted families in high cost of living areas in the United States.
About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit and make no profit on the sale of merchandise. Authorized patrons save thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to commercial prices when shopping regularly at a commissary. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America's military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.
Media Contact:
Kevin L. Robinson
(804) 734-8000, Ext. 4-8773
kevin.robinson@deca.mil