Courtesy Photo | Soldiers shop at the Fort Gregg-Adams Commissary in Virginia. (DeCA photo: Kevin Robinson)... read more read more
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By Tamara Eastman, DeCA Historian
NOTE: To see a DeCA video related to this release, click https://vimeo.com/557692943.
FORT GREGG-ADAMS, Va. – The Continental Army was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution that was passed by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia after the outbreak of the American Revolution. Gen. George Washington was named the Army’s commanding general. Two days after the service was established, the roots of the commissary benefit were laid down.
Today, the Department of Defense (DOD) recognizes the commissary benefit as mission critical, and throughout the years it has gained the admiration and gratitude of soldiers and their families, said Marine Sgt. Maj. Michael R. Saucedo, senior enlisted advisor to the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) director.
“At DeCA, we are proud to celebrate the Army’s 248th anniversary, and want all our soldiers – active duty, reservists, retirees and their family members – 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!”
Eligible commissary patronage includes soldiers who are disabled veterans (and their certified caregivers), Purple Heart recipients and former prisoners of war who were granted military retail shopping privileges on Jan. 1, 2020, under the Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018.
At the start of the Revolutionary War, American rebels didn’t have the supplies they required, and this included cooking equipment and food. The basic structure of American procurement was adapted from how the British Army organized its supply system.
On June 16, 1775, the Continental Congress created two supply offices, the Commissary General and the Commissary General of Stores and Purchases, both of which were required to report to the delegates of the Continental Congress.
The quartermaster general had duties and responsibilities that included the procurement and distribution of food and supplies. He was also the principal staff officer involved in the movement of the troops and was responsible for route reconnaissance of the troops. He also had to supply and maintain wagons and boats that were used to transport food and supplies.
On July 19, 1775, Congress appointed Joseph Trumbull, the son of Connecticut Governor Jonathan Trumbull, as commissary general. His department, charged with feeding the army, functioned well until the war moved from the Boston area to New York and New Jersey. Then, it faced the unprecedented challenges of reconnecting logistical arrangements in a war that went from the defense of extended positions to the near chaos of defeat and retreat.
On Aug. 14, 1775, Washington named Thomas Mifflin the quartermaster general of the Continental Army.
The Continental Army was supplemented by local militias and volunteer troops that were either loyal to individual states or independent. Most of the Army was disbanded in 1783 after the Treaty of Paris formally ended the Revolutionary War. The Army’s 1st and 2nd Regiments went on to form what became the Legion of the United States in 1792 which served as the foundation for the creation of the U.S. Army.
In 1825, officers in charge of subsistence operations were known as chief commissaries and their staff consisted of assistant commissaries and commissary sergeants. The Commissariat began selling food items that year from its warehouse to Army officers for their personal use. By 1841, officers could also purchase items for their families, as well.
In 1866, Congress authorized the Army to sell goods at cost from its subsistence warehouses to officers and enlisted men alike, starting on July 1, 1867. This was the beginning of the modern commissary benefit.
By 1868, customers could choose from an official 82-item stock list, which was comparable to civilian dry-goods grocery stores at the time. By contrast, commissary stock lists today include as many as 15,000 items.
The subsistence warehouses of the 19th century were gradually replaced by Army-run grocery stores called sales commissaries, which sold items at cost, providing soldiers good food at reasonable prices.
When the Army’s mission expanded around the world, commissaries followed: first to Cuba and the Philippines in 1898-99, then to China in 1900, Panama in 1904 and France in 1918.
While commissaries were originally created for active-duty Army personnel, they gradually were made available to members of every armed service, military retirees and the immediate family members of all authorized shoppers.
In 1952, DOD ordered an across-the-board 2-percent surcharge to help cover the stores’ operating costs; this was gradually increased until it reached the current level of 5 percent, in 1983. Funds generated by the surcharge pay for construction, renovation and maintenance of commissary structures, as well as for some supplies and equipment.
By 1990, Congress and the Defense Department decided to consolidate the individual service systems. Army Maj. Gen. John P. Dreska was named the agency’s first director, and then Fort Lee, Virginia (now Fort Gregg-Adams), became home to its headquarters.
On Oct. 1, 1991, the newly formed Defense Commissary Agency officially took control of 411 military commissaries and multiple related operations, such as Air Force troop support operations and sales to U.S. Embassy personnel.
Today, commissaries continue to save soldiers and their families thousands of dollars annually on their purchases in comparison to similar products at commercial stores. 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.
-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.
| Date Taken: | 06.08.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 06.08.2023 14:02 |
| Story ID: | 446522 |
| Location: | FORT GREGG-ADAMS, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 87 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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