After talking to them for a few minutes, you can tell what someone is passionate about. The easiest way to tell is if they smile and take a deep breath before explaining the topic. If you ever meet Ali Thompson United Service Organizations (USO), you’ll see that she lights up if the conversation turns to fitness and how to bring people together for that purpose.
“I really love teaching and I love seeing the success on people’s faces and then just making people happy.”
While stationed at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, the USO’s only physical center and staff in Africa, Thompson does a lot of work, including coordinating logistics and getting program materials to them, and then going out and doing personal programming for the spiritual. His job is not easy, but he was a military serviceman himself in the past, and he is dedicated to the role that supports the military today.
“I can 100 percent honestly say this is my dream job.”
From civil to naval
Thompson chose to join the Marines on a whim in 2010, recalling waking up one random morning and deciding to sign up. The final decision came the day he was told that this branch was the most difficult, he accepted the challenge with open arms.
“So it’s a bit of a silly start to be honest.”
He accepted the awakening of what he had registered during boot camp, but it only made his commitment to it even greater. It also ignited his passion for fitness and helping others train and improve.
“I took on a leadership role really quickly, and so I was responsible for making sure that my platoon was in the best physical shape that they could be in.”
When she wasn’t performing her duties as a Marine, she was learning more about the science of fitness and challenging herself through CrossFit or bodybuilding, even going on stage at an NPC show.
“I did two shows. I got fourth place and then first place in my first competition, and they were both Figures.”
Join the USO
Sergeant Thompson called it the 2018 Marine Corps career. Before that, he was deployed to Iraq and met the USO, specifically a lady named Amanda Audette. Odette and the USO made a great impression on Thompson during this trip.
“He was just this kind person and he could talk to everybody. And I just fell in love with the position and the role he played in such a hostile place,” Thompson said. “And so, right then and there during the deployment, I decided that’s what I wanted.”
When Thompson enlisted, he initially wanted to go back to Iraq, but the position was filled. They offered him the opportunity to go to Djibouti, a new place for him, and he accepted. Among her other roles, she helps service members reconnect with their families, even recording videos of her reading books for her children to watch at home.
“I think that’s probably the most rewarding part of working here.”
Thompson can see the camaraderie and participation among the people she works with and know that she has made a difference for them. However, she is the first to admit that it is as much for her as she is for them. That’s because when he first left the military, it left a void he didn’t expect.
Thompson explained, “I was really struggling with a new loneliness that I didn’t really expect to stumble into, and it really shook me. It put me in a tough spot where I realized that I’m no longer around people who think like me.”
This is a common feeling for most service members. According to the VA, approximately 15% of all veterans experience a sustained decline in occupational and financial well-being within the first 36 months out of uniform. This leads to self-doubt as well as depression because of the alienating feelings that come from the transition from military to civilian life.
Thompson’s current job has brought him back to a familiar community, and he has gone above and beyond to support those who support him. It reminds him of the days when he wore his uniform.
“Even though my position is different now, I still have a sense of camaraderie and I still feel like I’m a part of it.”
Other veterans looking for a new way to serve or reconnect with their brothers and sisters in uniform can do so by joining the USO, Thompson said. She can imagine what life would be like if she didn’t decide, but she
does not want It’s clear that what she does now has helped her in ways that a civilian job might not have.
“I think I would still be in that hole, that dark place where I felt so disconnected from other people. This transition was one of the best things I did for my mental health.”
For more information about the USO, visit its website.
Ali Thompson Horn of Africa USO Practice
Thompson created this exercise for service members in the Horn of Africa, which was performed during his first USO expedition tour at the opening of the gym. His main advice for this is: “Give it up and go hungry!”
Warm-up: 2 rounds
- 1 minute jogging or light train
- Cat crunches – 10 reps
- Scapular pushups – 10 repetitions
- Deep or Sampson Lunges – 10 repetitions
- Inch worms with additional pressure – 10 repetitions
- Kettlebell Squat – 5 reps
The longest in the world
- 10 barbell-only lifts
- Deadlift – 5 sets of 5 repetitions with 90 seconds of rest between sets.
- · Add weight so that it is moderately heavy.
HIIT for AMRAP
- Devil’s press or Burpees – 10 repetitions
- Box jumps or step-ups – 20 repetitions
- Train car – 15 calories
Cool down
- Children’s pose – 30 seconds
- Chest length – 30 seconds
- The length of the pigeon – 30 seconds
- Cobra Stretch – 30 seconds
