It's known as the "BX."
In military lingo, that's code for Base Exchange, a store selling goods at vastly reduced prices (and tax free) to service members, veterans, and their families.
Once a month, my brother and I would hop into the backseat of my mother's car and headed to nearby Hanscom Air Force Base to shop at the BX. My father worked at Hanscom after retiring from active duty, one of thousands of post-WWII soldiers hired to support national security initiatives. And while the specifics of his job always remained opaque, I came to know that base like the back of my hand, especially the BX.
Each steering a grocery cart, the two of us followed my mother as she meandered up and down the store's aisles, tossing items in our carriages. Our final stop was always the row containing restricted items, i.e. alcohol and cigarettes. After grabbing her two cartons of Parliaments, we'd head toward the cash register.
On my eighteenth birthday, the Airman at the security booth saluted our car one final time, marking my last visit to the base. From then on, only my mother was eligible to return. I remember being sad, already missing a place that felt like a second home to me.
On this Veterans Day week, here's to the BX, and the military families it supports.
"The Exchange goes where conventional retailers can't — or won't. It matters where the military community shops as 100% of their earnings are reinvested in the military community." - Base Exchange Mission Statement Summary
