Brittinie was inspired to serve after watching Cadet Kelly, a fictional drama about a young girl at a military academy. It wasn’t anything like what the military would end up being like but it was where the idea of military service came from. She decided to join the Air Force and after initially looking into the Reserve went active duty. Today she is working to become Physical Therapist and is currently going to school. She is also the host of Women Serve Too.
Inspired to Serve
Brittinie wanted to join the military to get college paid for. She wasn’t planning to go anywhere other than back home to Offutt Air Force Base in Oklahoma. But the Air Force had other plans and took her to Germany after tech school. She was an intel analyst and although initially not excited to go to Germany it was a great experience. She also met her husband there.
While in Germany she learned her job and got to travel. But she also experienced tragedy. On March 2, 2011, one of her friends was shot in the head by an Islamic extremist while driving a bus to the airport to move take people who were preparing to forward deploy. It was really hard. Then her husband deployed and one day when she came to work she went to an intel brief about the Forward Operating Base where her husband was learning six people died. She used fitness as a way to cope and help calm her emotions. It led to her creating a business to help others in their health and fitness journey.
Off to Vegas
Her husband’s next assignment was to Minot and she was going to get out but with little prospects of work in Minot she decided to re-enlist. This along with their marriage changed her husband’s assignment to Nellis and hers to Creech. Both bases near Las Vegas, but about an hour apart. She worked on a number of different high threat projects while at Creech. She was near the Las Vegas strip in 2017 when a shooter killed 60 people and injured 40 when shooting over 1000 rounds from his hotel window. It trigger her PTSD again.
Leaving the military
She transitioned off active duty and to the Reserve to finish out her commitment. She wanted to finish her degree and go to school full time. And she did. She graduated with her MBA and shortly after graduation became pregnant with her first child. Now, she is a mom of 4 under five and still continues to work on her fitness business, hosts the Women Serve Too podcast, and is working to get her PhD in Physical Therapy.
Want to connect with Brittinie:
FB: Brittinie Wick Fitness (https://www.facebook.com/
IG: @Brittiniewick_fitness (https://www.instagram.com/
Brittnie, your journey is truly inspiring. What started as a spark from watching Cadet Kelly transformed into a real-life commitment to serving in the Air Force. Despite the difference between the movie and the reality of military life, you embraced the challenge and chose active duty over the Reserve, showing your dedication and courage.
Your current pursuit of becoming a Physical Therapist speaks volumes about your passion for helping others and continuing to serve in a new capacity. Balancing your studies with hosting “Women Serve Too” is a testament to your leadership and your commitment to amplifying the voices of women in the military.
Your story is a powerful reminder of how inspiration can lead to profound and meaningful paths. Thank you for your service and for being a role model to so many.