HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! On Dec. 13, commissaries honor National Guard’s 387-year legacy
NOTE: To see a DeCA video related to this release, click here.
FORT GREGG-ADAMS, Va. – On Dec. 13, 1636, the Massachusetts Colony created an organized militia that would eventually become today’s National Guard.
The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) is honored to deliver the commissary benefit to members of the Army National Guard, Air Guard and their family members, said Navy Master Chief Mario Rivers, senior enlisted advisor to the DeCA director.
“We honor the 387-year legacy of the National Guard, and want our customers in the Guard to know we celebrate them every day by delivering the commissary benefit they’ve earned,” Rivers said. “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 you save $50 on a $200 grocery bill!”
In times of crisis or disaster, the United States has always relied upon the National Guard to provide aid, Rivers said. The Army National Guard and Air Guard have also deployed and fought alongside active-duty military and reserve forces in wartime, making it a valuable and important asset to the safety and security of the nation.
As the National Guard’s role in the American military grew larger, guardsmen’s access to commissaries also increased.
Traditionally, members of the Guard and Reserve had limited access to commissaries, although they had unlimited shopping privileges when they were on active duty.
In peacetime, this active-duty time generally meant two weeks out of each year. After the all-volunteer force slowly necessitated a greater involvement by the Guard and Reserve, consideration was given to expand the shopping privilege. In November 1986, they received authorization for 12 shopping trips each year in addition unlimited shopping privileges during their two weeks of active duty.
In 1990, Congress and the Department of Defense decided to consolidate the individual service commissary systems under one agency, the Defense Commissary Agency, which officially formed on Oct. 1, 1991.
Seven years later, the National Defense Authorization Act of October 1998 increased the commissary privilege entitlement from 12 to 24 visits per year for selected Guard, Reserves and Reserve Retirees under 60 years of age. Largely because of the increasingly important role they were assigned in combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, members of the Guard and Reserve were authorized full-time shopping privileges by the Defense Authorization Act of FY 2004, effective Oct. 1, 2003.
In 2008, DeCA received funding for an official Guard and Reserve on-site sale program that brought truckload and case lot events to geographically remote Guard and Reserve service members and their families. The on-site sales events took place in warehouses, aircraft hangars, armories, tents in parking lots and even the back ends of semitrailers on Guard and Reserve bases across the United States.
Today, members of the National Guard can join their reserve components and active-duty counterparts in shopping at any of the nearly 240 commissaries 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 National Guard continues its legacy of service, we will keep providing Guardsmen and their families – along with all of our eligible patrons – superior customer service and the items they want at the best possible savings,” Rivers said.
-DeCA-
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.