How Businesses End Up Blacklisted by the Military – By Caitlyn Burchett (The Virginian-Pilot) / Feb 25, 2023
A string of tobacco shops, car dealerships and a Virginia Beach bar accused of “unscrupulous business practices” have been off limits to military members for years, cut off from serving about 5% of Hampton Roads’ population.
The Armed Forces “off-limits list” dates more than 30 years, with businesses shuffling on and off the radar of the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board every three months. With Hampton Roads being home to 18 Department of Defense installations and roughly 85,000 active duty service members, landing a spot on the list can put a business’ future in jeopardy. And getting off the list is no easy feat.
Of 11 establishments from which service members are prohibited, eight have been on the list for more than nine years, despite having been permanently closed, while others changed their names or moved.
Manuel Thomas, coordinator for the board’s Norfolk-based region, said the goal of the off-limits list is to protect military members from illegal and unethical business practices. While Navy Region Mid-Atlantic is the sponsoring commander for the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board, the list applies to members of the Air and Space Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard.
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