AAFMAA was founded in 1879 by a group of Army Officers in response to the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn, or Custer's Last Stand. During frontier times when an officer died, the remaining soldiers would literally pass the hat to raise money for the surviving family. This system collapsed, however, with the Battle of the Little Bighorn. There were too few survivors to pass the hat, thus leaving the deceased soldiers' families in need. To remedy this situation, Army officers established the association. For many years, it was known as Army and Air Force Mutual Aid Association. In 2013, the name was officially changed to the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association (AAFMAA) as it is known today, with the same acronym. AAFMAA is headquartered at Fort Myer, VA with additional offices in Reston, VA and Fayetteville, NC.