HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Commissaries honor Space Force’s third birthday
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FORT LEE, Va. – On Dec. 20, 2019, Congress established the U.S. Space Force within the Department of the Air Force.
The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) is honored to deliver the commissary benefit to Space Force guardians and their family members, said Marine Sgt. Maj. Michael R. Saucedo, senior enlisted advisor to the DeCA director.
“At DeCA, we are proud to celebrate Space Force’s third anniversary, and want our eligible customers in that command to know we celebrate them every day by delivering the commissary benefit they’ve earned,” Saucedo said.
“We also want them to be aware that if they’re not shopping their commissary, then they are missing out on overall savings of at least 25 percent compared to prices at ‘outside the gate’ grocery stores – that means savings of at least $50 on a $200 grocery bill!”
Space Force’s path to becoming a new branch of the armed services began with the Air Force, which established the Air Force Space Force Command (AFSPC) on Sept. 1, 1982.
The fiscal ’20 National Defense Authorization Act officially designated AFSPC as the U.S. Space Force. The Space Force is a separate and distinct branch of the armed services that’s organized under the Air Force similar to how the Marine Corps is aligned under the Department of the Navy. The smallest of the services, Space Force has 4,840 personnel with 77 spacecraft.
DeCA has stores on the following Space Force installations: Buckley and Peterson in Colorado; Los Angeles and Vandenberg in California; and Patrick in Florida.
Members of Space Force, along with other active-duty and reserve component counterparts, may shop at any of DeCA’s nearly 240 commissaries at U.S. military installations around the world.
All commissaries boast conveniences like internet ordering/curbside pickup services, a mobile app, self-checkouts, digital coupons, dietitian-approved resources to identify healthy foods, sushi bars, hot foods, deli-bakeries, credit and debit card acceptance, gift cards and much more.
“As the U.S. Space Force continues its legacy of service, we will keep providing guardians and their families – along with all of our eligible patrons – superior customer service and the items they want at the best possible savings,” Saucedo said.
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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, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. 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.