A Victory

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My wife and I went to AAFES on a weekend in September and had asked the manager to cover the September issue of FHM that showed an almost nude woman with only ropes and panties covering her private parts. This magazine could easily be seen by children from the children's book aisle that is positioned directly in front of the magazine rack.

My wife approached the store manager about this problem. The store manager, when talking to my wife, became confrontational and argumentative. However, in the end, she agreed to fix the problem by placing that particular issue behind a blinder with the Playboys.

Later that week, my wife and I decided to meet for lunch at the AAFES food court. We then decided to check out the magazine aisle in order to verify if our request that weekend was still respected. It was not. That particular issue was displayed yet again with an "in-your-face" manner so that all passers-by would be forced to see it.

At this point, I got personally got involved and asked an AAFES employee if I could speak to the manager myself (as only my wife spoke to her last time). The employee told me that the store manager is currently escorting the AAFES regional manager throughout the store. I then asked him if I could speak to the regional manager, because he would probably be someone who could make more of an impact.

I approached the regional manager (who will remain anonymous) and told him the situation. We discussed many different topics ranging from the current magazine issue problem to the "Honor and Decency Act of 1996". He was very responsive and respectful about the problem mentioned above. Not only did he decide to fix the problem by covering that particular issue, but he decided to cover all the magazines that displayed provocative images. To this day, at the Fort Riley PX, all pornography, FHM, Stuff, and Maxim magazines are covered by blinders – a significant local victory.

This is a step in the right direction. This is a welcomed temporary fix at the Fort Riley PX, but it doesn't affect all of the other AAFES establishments on Fort Riley (e.g. Shoppettes) or any of the other AAFES locations worldwide. Nor is it a permanent fix because as soon as there is a new regional manager - that change can be undone. To put it metaphorically, the leaky pipe has tape on it, but we still need a new pipe. We need a permanent, legally binding change in the way AAFES approaches its product catalog and display. I sincerely appreciate this regional manager's willingness to make changes and encourage all AAFES executives to be more like him as we move forward.