DALLAS — The Army and Air Force Exchange Service is welcoming home 18.5 million honorably discharged veterans with a lifetime online military exchange shopping benefit.

Veterans can now shop online at ShopMyExchange.com, marking the first expansion of military exchange privileges since 1990.

"The Exchange is honored to open its virtual doors to millions of deserving veterans," said Exchange Director/CEO Tom Shull, a Vietnam-era Army veteran who worked to secure the change in Department of Defense policy after joining the Exchange in 2012. "There are many generations of service members who have not been properly recognized. This new benefit acknowledges their service and welcomes them home. This is something veterans can enjoy the rest of their lives."

Veterans will find an assortment of national-brand merchandise and military-exclusive pricing at ShopMyExchange.com. Shopping the Exchange online reconnects veterans with their military community, allowing them to remain soldiers and airmen for life, Shull said.

A news release said purchases veterans make online will help improve the quality of life for those who wear the uniform today as Exchange earnings support military quality-of-life programs, including combat uniforms below cost, fitness centers, child development center and youth programs on Army garrisons, school lunches for warfighters’ children overseas and more.

"This is a virtuous cycle," Shull said. "As a veteran myself, it is an honor to pay forward support to active-duty service members and their families."

The new benefit has been discussed for months thanks on social media, including shout-outs from Mark Wahlberg, Marcus Luttrell, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Richard Rawlings and other celebrities. As a result, more than 255,000 veterans verified their eligibility to shop at ShopMyExchange.com before the benefit’s official launch this weekend.

To verify eligibility and begin shopping, veterans can visit ShopMyExchange.com.