Kristen Thoennes

Share your military spouse story:
My husband and I met through Facebook. This was back when Facebook was brand new and only for college kids. After graduating, we moved to Texas where my husband was offered a position at the same company my Dad worked for. When the recession hit, my Dad had to let Charles go. We decided to move back home to South Carolina in the hopes that we would be able to find employment. After living off of unemployment for a year we had a decision to make. Charles was offered either a civilian position or to enlist in the Air Force. Knowing my husband, the military was going to be much for fulfilling for him so we made the decision to become a military family. I can still remember the day I dropped him off for BMT. It was the hardest day of my life. At our first duty station and because of the encouragement and support of his amazing supervisor, my husband made another tough decision and applied for Officer Training School (OTS). He was accepted and it started us off on another adventure. While we have never experienced a deployment, we have survived lots of time apart for training. He also spent a 365 unaccompanied tour in Korea. Fun fact: he left the day before the military stop movement due to COVID and was part of the first group who went through quarantine at Osan AB. We had plans of me visiting Korea while he was there, but due to the pandemic it was not possible. That assignment opened the door to our dream of being stationed in Germany. Through it all, I have experienced meeting so many fantastic, generous, kind, driven military spouses who have made this sometimes challenging military life easier and immensely more fun. They have shown me the value of volunteer work and giving back. My husband and I have been on countless adventures and experienced new parts of the world since becoming a military family! We haven't looked back and so thankful that we chose this life.

Share an example of your leadership experience within the military community:
Through my time as a military spouse I have held several leadership positions. One that stands out to me was when I served as President for the Shaw (AFB) Spouses' Club. We were still a newly combined club and I had very little leadership experience under my belt. Despite my lack of leadership skills, we successfully pulled off a scholarship auction raising thousands of dollars to give back to the community and provided a welcoming space for spouses to build relationships and enjoy their time at Shaw. I learned a lot about myself through that experience, too. I learned that leaders do not have to show up to EVERYTHING and should be open to constructive criticism. I also learned that it's OK and necessary to take care of yourself to avoid burnout, especially in a volunteer position. We explored new community partnerships and helped build awareness in the local community. We had a blast!

Describe your involvement in the military community:
At Beale AFB, I served as a Key Spouse and was active with our squadron spouses by planning social events. At Shaw, I served in many different roles within the spouses' club: President, Public Relations, and Social Media Manager. At USAG Stuttgart I served on the spouses' club board as Membership Chair, Publicity Chair and Communications Manager. I volunteered and then worked at the base thrift shop helping raise money for community grants and scholarships. I volunteered with the USO. Now I work for Stars and Stripes and use my position to support community partners like the USO. I also volunteer with the Military Spouse Advocacy Network (MSAN) where I am the Marketing Manager helping military spouses learn about the education, support and empowerment provided to them in their HUB. In addition, I volunteer for AWAG as the Public Relations Director helping to train, strengthen and connect military affiliated individuals living in Europe with leadership and professional development.

Describe how you support your community:
As you may be able to tell from the many positions I have held within the military community, supporting community is important to me. A lot of what I do is behind the scenes which sometimes makes me feel less than some of the other MSOYs I see doing very outward facing activities like setting up food banks or advocating for better housing conditions. My passion is simply providing a welcoming space for spouses to go to feel included. At our first base I struggled with making friends and often felt isolated. I never want anyone to feel that way so I try to include others as much as possible. When I was at USAG Stuttgart, another spouse told me that she remembered meeting me at her first spouses' club event and said I was very kind and welcoming. That is what I try to provide everywhere I go. It's often a quiet, small gesture, but I know it makes a difference.

What do you advocate for? Why?
In my current paid position with Stars and Stripes, I work hard to support community partners who are providing events for our military-affiliated members and their families stationed in Europe. Living overseas, even if it's something you've been dreaming of, can be challenging. Supporting each other by showing up, offering a smile and an encouraging compliment can go a long way in helping people enjoy their time here. In my position, I try to elevate what organizations like the USO, spouses' clubs and other private organizations are doing to support each other and make things a little easier for everyone over here. Whenever I meet people who have recently PCSed, I love to share with them the variety of resources available such as welcome guides, MFRC events, USO coffee connections and more. Even sharing my favorite resources for vacation planning is a fun way to support our community stationed in Europe!

How have you spread the message of your platform/advocacy?
A lot of what I do for the community is behind the scenes. I share about the organizations I am a part of through my own social media channels, in Facebook community groups and when talking to people in person but it is nothing grand. I am a social media manager so I love the possibilities that social media can provide to spread knowledge and to build community. I use it a lot for both MSAN and AWAG in building their communities and by spreading the word about the resources and opportunities they provide our military community. Through my job, I have gained a closer connection to AFN and love visiting them for on-air interviews to share what's going on at Stars and Stripes. However, nothing beats sitting next to someone and simply asking about their life, their hobbies and giving them the space to be themselves.

What do you hope to accomplish with the AFI Military Spouse of the Year^® title?
I am honored to be nominated. As with previous times that I have been nominated, I know that there are other superstar spouses doing big, important things for our community. My contributions to military spouses are nothing compared to that. But I hope that my nomination and however far I get in this process shows that "While it may seem small, the ripple effects of small things is extraordinary." (Matt Bevin) I also love being a part of this group celebrating military spouses! Military spouses are doing amazing things and are not always recognized for it. Seeing the many people highlighted for the efforts they are making to improve life for the rest of us is inspiring and I am beyond grateful to be a part of that.