Veteran Salute: A military love story

TOPEKA (KSNT) – In this week’s Veteran Salute, we’re introduced to a couple who met while serving and have been inseparable ever since. 

Alexis and Stephen Nuessen both joined the army after talking to recruiters. The two never planned on the army being something they would end up being a part of, but now wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Both being in the same engineering unit, that is where their journey started. 

“We had gone to school together down in Gulfport, Mississippi, which was a naval base, and they led construction and engineering work,” said Alexis Nuessen. “And so, since 2010, we have been together. We got married very shortly after. I mean, we were together for maybe only a couple of months. 

“We were in AIT, which our AIT was about ten weeks long,” said Stephen Nuessen. “And about halfway through, I proposed to her out on a beach in Gulfport. And then about three or four months later, we got married, and been together ever since.” 

Since then, they had both grown up together, started a family, and served our country. With such highs and lows of being in the military, they learned many things ,including navigating becoming a mom and serving. 

“The army just taught me a lot,” said Alexis. “It helped me grow, I mean, especially since I was in from 17 to 27. I spent those formative years of my life growing and learning all these different roles, learning that I was capable of a lot more than I knew. I also gave birth to all of our kids through my time in the service. So that was something that was hard on women, women that serve. It’s like we give birth and then we rebound back. It really taught me how to be really resilient and accomplish a lot.”

For the two, they both wear a lot of pride knowing they have gotten to protect others by choosing this path. 

“Protecting the ones you love, there’s nothing greater than that,” said Stephen. “As long as you put that uniform on, you’ve done a lot.”

The Neussens now reside in Olpe with their four children – ages 16, 14, 12, and 7. Coaching endless amounts of soccer teams. traveling, volunteering, and working their civilian jobs. 

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