Mother's Toughness Inspires Marine's Competitive Spirit

CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES --

Before Christine Houser ever swam or biked in a triathlon, another sport helped her weather through her toughest loss.

During Christine Vallely's senior year at the U.S. Naval Academy in 2001, the Vallely family received grim news: doctors diagnosed her mom, Barbara, with terminal brain cancer.

Although she had to endure multiple surgeries and chemotherapy, Barbara Vallely still made the trip from the family's home in Long Island, New York, to watch her daughter compete with the Navy women's basketball team.

Barbara, a vice president at the Bank of New York, introduced her children to sports, having competed in fencing, taekwondo, and tennis as a youth and an adult.

"My mother was a very successful, career-driven woman. She exposed me to sports, ballet, music, theater - pretty much everything … She would make every effort to make as many games and tournaments as she could. And she never complained." said Houser, now a Marine Corps colonel and commander of Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton.

Basketball and sports had always been the Vallelys' sanctuary. For a few moments, Houser and her mom could separate themselves from their worries; Mom would watch her daughter post up opponents and score buckets with her deft hook shot. As a 5-foot-9-inch center-forward, Houser defied the odds by excelling as an undersized post player using her strength and quickness in the Patriot League.

Mom inspired her daughter to pursue a military career. As a teen growing up in the 90s, Houser dreamed of flying planes off an aircraft carrier. She watched the classic film "Top Gun" and instantly became hooked. She eventually flew in a Cessna with a family friend to get a taste of the skies.

Houser eventually finished flight school in 2003 after she graduated from the Naval Academy and commissioned into the Marine Corps.

Her mom encouraged her to follow in the footsteps of her great uncle Henry Jablonski, a World War II pilot, and her father, who drove tanks in the Army for six years. Houser became one of the few female aviators in the Marine Corps receiving assignments that included stints with the Marine All Weather, Fighter Attack Squadrons 332 Moonlighters and 121 Green Knights and U.S. Strategic Command.

Now a seasoned F/A-18 Hornet Weapons Systems Officer, Colonel Houser has since shifted to competing in triathlons and has rose to the top of the master's division [women 35 and older]. She finished at the top of her age group during the 2023 Armed Forces Triathlon championship and on June 29 she finished second in the women's masters at the 2024 Triathlon.

Houser thinks of her mother's toughness when the competition gets hardest. Barbara Vallely died of cancer in October 2002.

"She was a fighter," Houser said, "and never gave up during her battle with brain cancer."

Houser continued competing on the hardwood after her mother's passing; giving her a place to heal. Houser qualified for the All-Marine Corps women's basketball team, even earning a spot on the All-Armed Forces team and the 2011 World Military Games.

That year the Marine Corps named Houser its Athlete of the Year. Competing in basketball and the triathlon during a 23-year military career helped keep Houser, in the military longer than she had ever imagined.

Athletics continued to give Houser an outlet from the stresses of duty. Vallely eventually married husband, Navy officer Joe Houser, who she met at the Naval Academy.

"Everyone knows me as this competitive person," Christine Houser said. "And I think that also helps going down to the unit where, if you're setting up different activities, and making a Warrior Games challenge or some kind of commander's cup, that brings out that competitive nature. So, I think by doing just sports - All-Marine sports, Armed Forces Sports - that ties it together."

Then the Marine Corps assigned Houser as an Airfield Operations Company Commander and Operations Officer at the renowned Camp Pendleton, California. While stationed at Pendleton, which sits north of San Diego, Houser saw Californians riding bicycles and swimming in the mild Southern California weather. She began competing first in bike races but multiple deployments between 2012 and 2015 prevented her from competing. But that didn't stop Houser from training.

She swam as often as she could in swimming pools in Japan and even sent her bike to a friend's house so she could train for the bike leg of the triathlon. At Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, she would spend dozens of hours on the spin bike when she couldn't pedal an actual bicycle.

She committed herself to a serious training regimen in 2017 between the births of her two sons. There Houser found a vibrant fitness community that reached a diverse range of competitors.

"The triathlon community is amazing," Houser said. "There are people of all ages, sizes, shapes, that do triathlon … It's amazing to see people build friendship through sport."

Houser, 45, recently assumed command of Camp Pendleton Air Station, within the Corps' premiere training base for preparing Marines for combat. She has logged more than 1,930 hours flying the F-18 including deployments to Iraq, Bahrain, and Japan, but she credits much of her career achievements to competitive sports keeping her grounded.

"Sports definitely helps you have a little bit of an outlet," she said. "Sometimes it's hard to get up in the morning, to do your workout. But getting up and going to do that little bit makes my day a lot better I think it definitely helps me be a better leader, better person, better mom, better wife."

At the 2023 Armed Forces Triathlon, Houser competed in the Elite division instead of the Masters, so that the All-Marine team could qualify for a team medal. Houser finished 11th, helping the Marines claim 1st place for the women's team finish in 2023. Her 2:24:39 time ranked first in the master's division and she went on to compete in the masters at the 2023 Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM) or Military World Games in France.

At the 2024 Triathlon, Houser finished a tick behind her 2023 time, finishing second in the women's masters behind Air Force Maj. Esther Willet.

Houser has struggled with the 1.5 km swim but managed to finish higher last month. She had a slightly faster bike time and slightly slower run time, she said.

"I felt good. I'm not a fast swimmer, but there were a few people still in the water behind me," she said after the race. "So for me, that's pretty good that I was able to kind of end up towards the middle."

The Marine will participate in the 2024 USA Triathlon Olympic and Sprint Distance National Championships this September in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She will then travel to Torremolinos-Andalucia Spain, for the 2024 World Triathlon Championship Finals for sprint, Olympic, and Team competitions. Houser has also qualified to compete at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Taupo, New Zealand.

Houser has no plans of slowing down as a triathlon competitor. Between her duties as a Marine Corps commander and full-time mom, each week she swims 5-6 miles, bikes 60-120 miles, and runs 20-30 miles. She still occasionally plays pickup basketball games with friends in recreational leagues.

Triathlons have become a family affair in the Houser household. Her husband, Joe, has also competed in the sport, and her 7-year-old son, AJ recently began racing in triathlons for his age group.

When Houser returns to her unit following races, she tells junior Marines about the opportunities in Armed Forces Sports; both in the triathlon and on the hardwood. The colonel said participating in Marine Corps and Armed Forces Sports allows Marines and Sailors not only an athletic outlet but also mentorship opportunities. Many junior Marines run and compete alongside senior NCOs and officers.

"It's just been a great experience overall throughout my Marine Corps career to be able to compete in two different sports," Houser said.

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