Photo By Diana Nesukh | At the heart of military service are a steadfast commitment to the mission and an...... read more read more
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At the heart of military service are a steadfast commitment to the mission and an understanding of sacrifice. While many Airmen civil engineers understand this principle, those who serve as a join spouse couple live by it. Col. Andrew Clemmensen and Lt. Col. April Clemmensen have exemplified this throughout their entire relationship. The Clemmensens are currently stationed at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington D.C. Andrew recently completed a Senior Developmental Education Fellowship at the Washington National Institute of Near East Policy and recently began working in the Directorate of Civil Engineering at the Air Staff. April is the 11th Civil Engineer Squadron commander in charge of facilities, infrastructure, and readiness of Airmen deployed worldwide.
The Clemmensens first met at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, where Andrew completed his EOD Flight Command and April was on her first assignment. However, their story together was just getting started and they moved to Hawaii, later Colorado, then Texas, and then New Jersey, where Andrew was stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst as a squadron commander, and April completed her PhD at Rutgers University through AFIT.
Throughout their careers, the Clemmensens have garnered strength from their common thread of working in the Air Force which has pushed them to understand and learn from one another. Although the two had to spend time apart on various assignments and to pursue their respective educations, they chose career paths that maximized their time stationed together as a join spouse couple.
“We've been able to keep each other abreast of various things that are going on and share our perspectives with the person whose opinion and thoughts we value more than anybody else's in the world,” Andrew said. “For me, it's been great to have an officer who’s my best friend. April gives me her unvarnished opinion.”
The couple also gives credit to the civil engineer community for the immense support and opportunities they have received. The Clemmensens found a sense of camaraderie and a tight-knit community among their colleagues who have inspired them and have been committed to their professional development. Their community has in turn had a positive impact on the couple’s personal and professional lives, and has inspired them as well.
“We have a lot of smart people in the career field, but they're also down to earth, and they can get things done,” April said. “They're super talented and able to contribute to the mission in amazing ways.”
The Clemmensen’s journey has not always been smooth sailing and has come with many lessons learned in their careers and marriage. Being a join spouse couple has taught them the meaning of sacrifice and working together to support one another. Compromises and tradeoffs in the form of changing schedules, forgoing opportunities from time to time, and often spending time apart, have helped April and Andrew become a stronger family. Having their families to lean on, especially when it comes to raising their three children, has also been an invaluable aspect of their day-to-day lives.
Through the trials and tribulations of their join spouse life together, the Clemmensens have also shared many wonderful memories over the years. Throughout all their promotions, Andrew underscored the significance of the people who stood by their side and invested in their careers to get to those milestones. “When I think about our promotions, I think about the people who have taken care of us along the way,” Andrew said. “They’re all amazing people, and it just speaks so much to the impact of the big Air Force family bond.”
To other military couples in the Air Force and in civil engineering, April and Andrew stress the importance of communication and believe it is the key to successful careers and marriages. Communication includes needing to strike balances, having open and honest conversations, setting realistic expectations for the future, and even expecting curveballs along the way. For the Clemmensens, being adaptable to everything life has to offer has been the key to their growth and success.
“Whether you're in the military or not, life is going to throw you some surprises. You need to have a good attitude and a way to reconcile that,” April said. “Knowing that everything that happens to us is for our good has enabled us to be very flexible and roll with the unexpected.”
| Date Taken: | 07.30.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.30.2024 13:52 |
| Story ID: | 477360 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE ANACOSTIA-BOLLING, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 240 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Mission Ready, Family Steady: The Clemmensens, by Era Atre, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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