CAMP SCHWAB, OKINAWA, Japan -- Members of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service broke ground for a new Post Exchange Jan. 11 aboard Camp Schwab.
The plan for the new Exchange will bring a better selection of items and convenience to the Marines stationed on the Northern bases.
“The new Exchange is going to offer a wider variety of items and be more convenient for the majority of the Marines here on base,” said Lance Cpl. Brandon Chrisp, a field radio operator with Force Recon Company, 3rd Recon Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine expeditionary Force. “It will also be closer to the main population of the base.”
The location of the new Exchange will assist many Marines stationed on Camp Schwab who do not own vehicles. For these Marines, their weekly shopping can now be completed in one trip.
“It is inconvenient to travel to another base to shop,” said Lance Cpl. Hunter Kimery, a transmissions systems operator with 3rd Recon Battalion. “I have to take the Green Line which is very strenuous because you have to ride for an hour and then wait and ride again for another hour to get back with all of your groceries.”
The Okinawa Defense Bureau plans to have the Exchange open by January of 2020. The plans also revealed construction of a new post office and bank to be incorporated into the Exchange.
“This new project is going to put everything right in one building,” said Col Kevin Norton, the camp commander of Camp Schwab. “It will be a one-stop-shop for the Marines to get all their support from and it will definitely be neat when it is up and running.”