Arlene Ogan

Share your military spouse story:
My story begins far from the military, in Mexico City, where I lived until 7 years old before immigrating to El Paso. Learning a new language and a new culture shaped my resilience early in life. After earning my citizenship, I joined the Air Force as Security Forces, which was a demanding career field for women. I had my first-born son, deployed for 8 months, and learned the true meaning of sacrifice. My military spouse journey began in 2012 when I met my husband at Luke AFB. Together, we fought for custody of his children and built a blended family. Wanting to provide stability for our kids, I separated from active duty after 10 years and committed fully to our family. I earned my master’s degree while serving through church ministries, spouse clubs, and mentoring spouses. Our family has endured deployments, mandatory moves, and a pandemic, yet our unity was strengthened. My journey was shaped by service and resilience. It reflects the heart of what it means to be a military spouse.

Describe any leadership positions or provide an overview of your leadership contributions within the military community.
I love being involved and giving back to my community. I have been a key spouse and mentor for 5 separate squadrons across 4 bases. I have had the honor of being elected as Spouses Club Chair at both Laughlin and Scott AFBs, leading cross-functional teams to advance family readiness, inclusion, and Quality of Life. As Laughlin’s Social Chair, I led 12 events, 27 volunteers, recruiting 64 spouses, and increasing membership by 80%. As a change agent, I institutionalized the Wing’s first Spouse Drop Night, empowering 9 new spouses and 15 military-connected small businesses, and launched the first Wellness Group, strengthening holistic wellness and accountability for 81 spouses. At Scott, I was elected Community Liaison Chair, leveraging partnerships with 3 local businesses to deliver 320 pounds of goods. During this time, I founded our first Taco Club, fostering cultural awareness and connectedness for 108 spouses. I enjoy serving my fellow spouses and strengthening community readiness.

What programs or projects are you currently involved in that support the needs of military families?
I am actively involved in programs that support and strengthen military families at Patrick SFB. Shortly after arriving, I was asked by the Chaplain to launch and lead a new on-base Bible study for military spouses, creating a safe space for connection, faith, and resilience. In addition, I host a weekly couples Bible study in my home, supporting military marriages through hardship and shared experiences. Together, these efforts allow me to support spouses across a community of more than 3,000 dependents, all while working full time. Through these programs, I provide faith-based resilience tools, emotional support, and community for families navigating deployments, isolation, and military life stresses. I am also an Operation Heal Our Patriots alumna and actively educate couples about this marriage-enrichment program, which has served more than 900 military couples. I enjoy sharing resources and connecting families to the broader Samaritan’s Purse network operating in 100 countries.

What moments best reflect your impact on building inclusive community among military spouses?
My impact on the military spouse community is rooted in building inclusive spaces where spouses feel seen, supported, and empowered. When I was asked to launch and lead a new on-base Bible study for military spouses, I intentionally designed this program to be open and welcoming to spouses of all backgrounds, ranks, and life stages. This created a trusting environment that fosters connection, resilience, and belonging. Beyond Patrick, I have consistently mentored junior spouses and young mothers through small-group Bible studies and community organizations. I shared real-life military experiences to help spouses navigate deployments, parenthood, and isolation. I also amplified spouse voices at the Air Force level by authoring 5 widely shared articles addressing key military spouse challenges and morale initiatives. These efforts generated 96,000 engagements and inspired over 25,000 Airmen and family members, validating spouse experiences and strengthening connection across the force.

Identify your main advocacy effort and describe your personal connection to the cause.
My primary advocacy is strengthening military marriages and creating inclusive communities where military spouses feel supported and connected. This cause is deeply personal to me. I served 10 years on active duty as a Security Forces member, deploying in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and transitioning to a full-time military spouse to provide stability for our blended family. Navigating deployments, frequent moves, and the demands of dual-Security Forces careers taught me how isolating military life can be for spouses. This drove my commitment to ensuring no spouse feels alone. I lead Bible studies in my home and on-base, mentor spouses and mothers, and advocate for resilience through Operation Heal Our Patriots. By sharing my own journey and connecting families to resources, I help normalize seeking support and strengthening relationships. My advocacy is rooted in lived experience, service, and a desire to give military families the same support that helped sustain mine.

Summarize your advocacy outreach strategies, including any events, media involvement, or other communication efforts.
I use a layered outreach strategy to advocate for military spouses and strengthen family resilience. At the Air Force level, I authored five articles addressing key spouse concerns such as isolation, PCS stress, and mental health. These articles generated more than 96,000 engagements and inspired over 25,000 Airmen. At the community level, I supported digital engagement as part of a church media team, managing livestream services and online platforms to ensure remote spouses felt connected and supported through real-time communication. My most meaningful advocacy occurs through personal engagement. I connect one-on-one with spouses in distress, including supporting 3 spouses through family loss and deployment-related challenges. I provide emotional support and connect families to chaplains and counseling services. By combining digital outreach, small-group facilitation, and personal advocacy, I ensure support reaches spouses both publicly and privately, meeting them where they are.

What do you hope to accomplish with the AFI Military Spouse of the Year^® title?
If selected as the AFI Military Spouse of the Year, I would use the platform to amplify military spouse voices, normalize seeking support, and expand access to resources that strengthen families and marriages. My goal would be to help spouses feel seen, valued, and connected, especially those navigating isolation, deployments, loss, or major life transitions. I hope to use this opportunity to highlight the importance of marriage resilience, faith-based and non-faith-based support options, and peer-to-peer mentorship as critical components of military family readiness. By sharing my journey and lessons learned, I would work to reduce stigma around asking for help and encourage spouses to seek community early, not only during crisis. Most importantly, I want to leverage the visibility of this title to connect military families to life-changing programs, elevate grassroots efforts already making an impact, and inspire spouses to recognize their own strength, purpose, and ability to lead.