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Members First Class
By Ingrid Skjong
 Katrina Gier Lewison and Tyler Lewison know a thing or two about determination. Both are captains in the U.S. Army, Black Hawk helicopter pilots and 2000 graduates of West Point. Katrina, 28, is currently a company commander of B/58 Air Traffic Services Battalion in Seoul. Tyler, 27, a Little Rock, Arkansas, native, took command of B/2-2 Aviation Battalion in February. It’s no wonder the couple approaches their finances in a battle-tested manner.
“Financial independence is a marathon, not a sprint,” says Tyler. “Slow and steady wins the race.”
Katrina has had life insurance and mutual funds since she was in high school. “We were both blessed to have parents who taught us the importance of saving money from an early age,” says Tyler. The Lewisons try to save 33 percent of their salaries and make regular donations to their church in Korea and Operation Blessing International, a not-for-profit organization that provides short-term relief and development assistance to economically disadvantaged people and victims of disaster throughout the world.
Bottom-line decisions became more difficult in March 2003 when both were transferred to Iraq for one year—Katrina to an air base in northern Iraq and Tyler to Mosul. While at the air base, Katrina began a sister-city project between her hometown of Hutchinson, Kansas, and a local village. It took off, and nearly all of western Kansas got involved, including the Reno County Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, sending clothes and other necessities, which Katrina delivered.
Katrina also showed fortitude in the spring of 2004. While visiting Tyler in Mosul for his birthday, a grenade was thrown at the Humvee Katrina was riding in and exploded, slightly wounding her. Her injuries earned her a Purple Heart.
Katrina and Tyler are wisely taking full advantage of the benefits they receive through the military, including a housing allowance, medical care and tuition assistance, which allowed them to complete master’s degrees in public policy administration.
So what’s next for the Lewisons? “Maybe we will retire from government service after 20 years or pursue a second career in state politics or enter the mission field,” says Tyler. “But I do know that saving today will open up our options a hundredfold in the future.”
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