Photo By Capt. Eric Abrams | Mrs. Arlene Allen, recipient of the 2020 Armed Forces Insurance Marine Corps Spouse of...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII -- The challenges of being a military spouse often make it a tough and thankless job. Although spouses didn’t raise their right hand and swear an oath to serve their country, there is no question, that’s what they do every day.
Mrs. Arlene Allen, recipient of the 2020 Armed Forces Insurance Marine Corps Spouse of the Year, has fully embraced her vital role as a military spouse. Married to U.S. Marine Master Sgt. Robert Allen, currently serving with HMLA-367, Marine Aircraft Group 24, Mrs. Allen’s “time in the Corps” has been filled with countless deployments, duty stations and training exercises. It’s safe to say that after 21 years, she is familiar with just about every challenge being a military spouse can present.
“Most of the time we live far from family and in communities we have never even visited. Deployments and being away from family are hard, especially on children. Having a spouse who can handle it all while they are away makes it easier for the service member to focus on their job and task at hand,” said Mrs. Allen.
According to Mrs. Allen, the key to getting through tough times is being part of a cohesive community that most people never get to experience. “Surrounding yourself with supportive individuals can make all the difference on whether you feel alone or not. A strong community can help spouses find a way to give back to others, accomplish a goal, build friendships and a support system,” she said.
Knowing it can be difficult to create connections, Mrs. Allen quickly employed her community building skills after moving to her current duty station in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. By starting a new chapter of the Stroller Warriors Running Club with another spouse, which currently has over 1,000 members, Mrs. Allen has been able to grow the spouse support community on base. Additional time spent volunteering at many other organizations across the base has filled Mrs. Allen’s schedule and increased the support system for Marines and Sailors at home.
“Military spouses play a pivotal role in the readiness of any unit. Plain and simple, a Marine or Sailor cannot focus on the mission they need to accomplish when they are worrying about issues at home. Spouses often bear the brunt of the workload at home when deployments and other requirements necessitate more time away from family. These spouses often do this work without appropriate recognition, even though they are so vital to our success as a Marine Corps,” said U.S. Marine Col. Stephen Lightfoot, MAG-24 commanding officer.
Mrs. Allen’s selection as the Marine Corps spouse of the year was not a surprise to Lightfoot. “Arlene’s dedication to building the spouse network across Hawaii has been incredible. She is such a selfless individual evidenced by her many hours of volunteering and building that strong spouse community. We are lucky to have her at MAG-24,” he said.
Next month Mrs. Allen will be competing with five other service member spouses, each representing their respective branch of the military, with one being chosen as the overall Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year.
Given her optimistic and selfless nature, it was no surprise to hear Mrs. Allen’s best advice to other military spouses: “Focus on the positive and ALWAYS be ready for the unexpected.”
| Date Taken: | 04.21.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.21.2020 17:32 |
| Story ID: | 368022 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 370 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Crushing the toughest job in the Corps, by CPT Eric Abrams, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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