Eighth Army’s commanding general, Lt. Gen. Bill Burleson, helped welcome in a new Army & Air Force Exchange Service bakery and distribution center at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys, South Korea, Nov. 19.
The new Korea Distribution Center is the Exchange’s largest in the Pacific, delivering U.S. products to Exchanges in Korea as well as Japan, Okinawa, Guam, Kwajalein Atoll and American Samoa.
Attendees witnessed the official ribbon cutting and were offered a tour of the facilities where Exchange and name brand baked goods are produced.
The 255,806-square-foot facility and its 25,000-square-foot bakery produces goods for DoDEA schools, commissaries and dining facilities in Korea, which helps the Exchange give troops and military families serving thousands of miles from home a lifeline to America, according to AAFES.
The opening follows the relocation of the distribution center and bakery from Camp Market in Seoul to Camp Humphreys as part of the Army’s Yongsan Relocation Plan.
“Not only do we get a great facility here that can be a great distribution center throughout the Pacific, it is also part of our Yongsan Relocation Plan, which allows us to return Camp Market to the Republic of Korea so they can repurpose that space for the needs and desires they want,” said Burleson.
Along with a tour of the bakery, attendees, both Korean and American, were also provided free samples to eat.
The facility’s grand opening completes the relocation of Exchange operations in Korea after nine years, according to an AAFES release.
“This facility would not have been possible without the enduring commitment of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, the Department of Defense and the Republic of Korea,” Burleson said.
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