{"id":44127,"date":"2019-03-11T21:32:35","date_gmt":"2019-03-11T21:32:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/03\/11\/this-vet-handled-explosives-for-the-army-now-shes-a-model-and-beauty-pageant-queen\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T08:00:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:00:39","slug":"this-vet-handled-explosives-for-the-army-now-shes-a-model-and-beauty-pageant-queen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2019\/03\/11\/this-vet-handled-explosives-for-the-army-now-shes-a-model-and-beauty-pageant-queen\/","title":{"rendered":"This vet launched grenades for the Army. Now she\u2019s a model and beauty pageant queen."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Raquel Riley Thomas never planned on becoming a model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The former Army captain and ordnance officer had been working as a photographer since leaving the military, snapping photos of models and celebrities for Jet Magazine and other publications. One day, she walked into Elite Modeling Agency with the hope of getting onto their photographer referral list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Elite representative caught Thomas off guard: She was more interested in signing her as a model than a photographer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201dIt threw me completely, because I had no idea I was looking like a model when I went there as a photographer,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since that fateful encounter, Thomas has been featured on international billboard advertisements for companies like Coca Cola and Delta, won two major beauty pageants, become a fashion guru on two ABC morning shows (\u201cLet\u2019s Talk Live\u201d and \u201cGood Morning Washington\u201d) and started her own production company, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aoagwllc.com\/\" target=_blank>An Officer and Gentlewoman LLC<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Oh, and she also happens to be a social-media \u201cbeauty and fashion influencer\u201d with more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/raquelrileythomas\/?hl=en\" target=_blank>134,000 Instagram followers<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI didn\u2019t plan on it,\u201d she said. \u201cI just started putting up my fashion on Instagram.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thomas credits her love of fashion to her grandmother, whom she described as a consistently well-dressed woman and a \u201cviolin virtuoso.\u201d Music runs in her family, as her great grandmother was also an opera singer. As a kid, Thomas took up the violin and was also briefly a drummer in an R&amp;B band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said that being a drummer helped prepare her for her current role in the production world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs a drummer, you hold the beat and keep the whole group together,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cThat\u2019s how I feel now as a producer in theater. I\u2019m holding the whole production together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like music, the military is also a family tradition for Thomas. Both her mother and grandmother were in the Army, and Thomas thought \u201cit would be befitting for me to go ahead and do the same thing they did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She earned an ROTC scholarship to Hampton University, where she graduated with a degree in psychology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During her Army stint, Thomas worked as a photojournalist and an ordnance officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thomas said she got into the ordnance field partially because there was a need for black women in that space. During her time as an ordnance officer, she worked on maintenance of large weapons and trucks and occasionally handled explosives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI launched some grenades,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I wasn\u2019t out there doing IED stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2019\/03\/08\/tough-but-trendy-5-tips-for-vets-to-up-their-style-game\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Raquel1.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Tough but trendy: 5 tips for vets to up their style game<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">If you\u2019re unsure how to combine both your military background and civilian style for fashion success, check out Raquel Riley Thomas\u2019 advice on how to look your best.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She praised the military for teaching her many of the skills that have helped her succeed in civilian life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI have to admit that I learned a lot of discipline in the military,\u201d she said. \u201cI think it was really important to have discipline back then. I also appreciate the fact [that] I learned how to be a team player. That was key for transitioning into the civilian world and civilian jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thomas took away many other lessons from her time in the Army, like the value of loyalty and the importance of working with subject-matter experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Army is also where she picked up her current life motto: \u201cA leader comes to the table with a problem in their hand, but a great leader comes to the table with a problem in their left hand and three potential solutions in their right hand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The military still plays a large role in her personal style. Thomas has been known to incorporate \u201cmilitary tones\u201d and military-style accessories like buckles, zippers and spikes into her wardrobe. She calls this look \u201cglam rock.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1367\" height=\"2048\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Raquel4.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-89059\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Raquel4.jpeg.jpg 1367w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Raquel4.jpeg.jpg?resize=200,300 200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Raquel4.jpeg.jpg?resize=768,1151 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Raquel4.jpeg.jpg?resize=684,1024 684w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Raquel4.jpeg.jpg?resize=1025,1536 1025w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1367px) 100vw, 1367px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Raquel Riley Thomas is an Army veteran and production company owner. She described her look as &#8220;glam rock,&#8221; mixing her civilian style with military accessories and tones. (Photo courtesy of Ali Rizvi Photography)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2009, after Thomas separated from the military, her daughter Maria, now 12, asked her a tough question: Why don\u2019t any of the princesses in her favorite movies and TV shows look like her?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI gave her a B.S. answer,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cI told her, \u2018Baby you\u2019re beautiful, don\u2019t worry about it.\u2019 But it stuck in the back of my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A few months later, she was watching the Miss Universe pageant and realized what she had to do. \u201cI said, \u2018Dammit, if there aren\u2019t any princesses that look like her, I\u2019m going to be one,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thomas was wildly successful as a pageant contestant. She won the Mrs. Maryland pageant in 2010 and was the 2011 Mrs. America runner-up, becoming the first black woman to get that far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She soon parlayed her newfound prominence in the pageant community into her own production company, An Officer and Gentlewoman. To show that she hasn\u2019t forgotten about her military roots, part of all proceeds from her pageants go to veteran-aid organizations like VETSports and Operation Renewed Hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thomas advised her fellow veterans unsure of what they want to after their military service ends to heed her grandmother\u2019s advice: You\u2019ll know you\u2019ve found the right job if you would be willing to do it for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Thomas, that was fashion and production. And her love of both keeps her going to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cVeterans have to be honest with themselves and ask themselves what they want to do once they leave the military,\u201d she said. \u201cWhatever gets you excited to get out of bed, that\u2019s what you should be doing.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Raquel Riley Thomas is an ex-Army captain who also happens to be a business owner, pageant queen, model and Instagram influencer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":89057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":19,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,72,12,25,13,19,69],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3047],"class_list":["post-44127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-military-culture","category-news","category-newsletters","category-off-duty","category-veterans","category-your-marine-corps"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"GY52RA4JLBDU3JMEIPMPJCGUAE","arc_canonical_url":"\/transition-tips\/transition\/2019\/03\/11\/this-vet-handled-explosives-for-the-army-now-shes-a-model-and-beauty-pageant-queen\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>This vet launched grenades for the Army. Now she\u2019s a model and beauty pageant queen. - Marine Corps Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Raquel Riley Thomas is an ex-Army captain who also happens to be a business owner, pageant queen, model and Instagram influencer.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This vet launched grenades for the Army. 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