It can be real easy to see what someone is passionate about after talking with them for a few minutes. The simplest tell is if they smile and take a deep breath before they begin to explain the topic. If you ever meet Ali Thompson of the United Service Organizations (USO), you will see her light up if the conversation shifts to fitness and how to bring people together for that purpose.
“I really love to teach, and I really love to see the accomplishment on people’s faces and then, just to have people have fun.”
Thompson does a lot while stationed at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, the only physical and staffed USO center in Africa, including logistics coordinating and getting program supplies to them, and then going out and hosting in-person programming for morale. Her work is not easy but having been a service member herself in the past, being in a role that supports the military today is worth the effort.
“I can 100 percent say with all honesty that this is my dream job.”
Ali Thompson
From Civilian to Marine
Thompson opted to join the Marines in 2010 on a whim, recalling that she woke up one random morning and made the decision to sign up. The final decision that day came when she was told it was the most difficult branch, a challenge she accepted with open arms.
“So, a bit of a goofy start, if I’m honest.”
She received an awakening of what she signed up for during boot camp, but it only made her commitment to it even greater. It also ignited her passion for fitness and helping others train and improve performance.
“I picked up into a leadership role really quickly, and therefore I was responsible then for making sure that my platoon was in the best physical shape that they could be in.”
When she wasn’t fulfilling her duties as a Marine, she was learning more about the science behind fitness and challenging herself through CrossFit or bodybuilding, even going as far as stepping onstage at an NPC show.
“I completed two shows. I got fourth place in my very first competition ever, and then first place, and both of those were Figure.”
Joining USO
Sergeant Thompson called it a career as a Marine in 2018. Prior to that, she had been deployed to Iraq and encountered the USO, specifically a lady named Amanda Odette. Odette and the USO made quite the impression on Thompson during that visit.
“She was just this giving person and could talk to anybody. And I just fell in love with her position and the role that she was playing in such a hostile location,” Thompson said. “And so, right then and there during that deployment, I decided that was what I wanted to do.”
Once Thompson joined herself, she initially wanted to go back to Iraq, but the position was filled. They offered her the opportunity to go to Djibouti, a new place for her, and she jumped at the chance. Among her other roles, she’s involved with helping service members staying connected to their families, even going as far as recording videos of them reading books for their children back home to watch.
“I think that that is probably the most rewarding part of working here.”
Thompson can see the camaraderie and engagement among the people she works with and know that she has made a difference for them. However, she’s also the first to confess that it does as much for her as she does for them. That’s because when she first exited the military, it left a void she didn’t expect.
Thompson explained, “I really struggled with a newfound loneliness that I didn’t really expect to stumble upon, and it really did rock me to say the least. It put me in a really hard position where I realized that I’m not around people that thought like me anymore.”
That is a common feeling for most service members. According to the VA, about 15% of all veterans experience a steady decline in vocational and financial well-being during their first 36 months out of uniform. This leads to self-doubt as well as depression because of the outsider feelings that may come from transitioning from military to civilian life.
Thompson’s current job has brought her back around to a familiar community, and she has gone above and beyond to support those that support her. It reminds her of the days when she had the uniform on herself.
“While my position is different now, I still have that sense of camaraderie, and I still feel like I’m a part of it.”
Thompson expressed that other veterans looking for a new way to serve or to feel connected with the brothers and sisters in uniform again may be able to gain that through joining the USO. She can imagine what life would be like had she not decided to, but she
would rather not. It’s evident that what she does now has helped her in ways that a civilian job may not have.
“I think that I would still be in that hole, that dark place where I felt very disconnected from other people. This transition was one of the best things I did for my mental health, I think.”
For more information on the USO, go to its website.
Courtesy of USO
Ali Thompson’s Horn of Africa USO Workout
Thompson created this workout for Horn of Africa service members that was conducted on her first expeditionary USO visit to perform at a gym opening. Her main advice for this one is, “Get after it & stay hungry!”
Warm-up: 2 rounds
- 1 minute light jog or row
- Cat Cows – 10 reps
- Scapular Pushups – 10 reps
- Deep or Sampson Lunges – 10 reps
- Inch worms with an additional pushup – 10 reps
- Kettlebell Squat – 5 reps
World’s Greatest Stretch
- 10 barbell-only deadlifts
- Deadlift – 5 sets of 5 reps with 90 seconds of rest between sets.
- ·Add weight so it is moderately heavy.
HIIT for AMRAP
- Devil’s Press or Burpees – 10 reps
- Box Jumps or Step Ups– 20 reps
- Row Machine – 15 calories
Cool-Down
- Child’s Pose – 30 seconds
- Thorasic Stretch – 30 seconds
- Pigeon Stretch – 30 seconds
- Cobra Stretch – 30 seconds
