Dugan was commissioned into the Navy in 1969. Her mother, the wife of a Navy submariner, recommended what was then an unlikely career path for a woman, telling Dugan she belonged somewhere she could make a difference. That advice guided her through her three decades of military service and continues to guide her today, including her efforts to stop a plan by the Army to exclude thousands of previously eligible veterans from burial at Arlington. 

LATEST EFFORTS
Much of Dugan's family is buried at Arlington, including her parents; her own end-of-life plans included burial there with full military honors. She calls the current changes recommended by the Army "blatantly discriminatory to individual services, minorities, staff, administrative and support personnel, and women" who were not afforded equivalent awards and decorations because of assignment prohibitions and restrictions. An amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, if approved, would delay proposed eligibility changes until the completion of a joint DoD-VA report on the location of the next national cemetery.

HOW HER SERVICE SUPPORTS MOAA'S MISSION
Dugan's work is helping to put a stop to one more reduced benefit for those eligible for burial at Arlington and for future servicemembers. 

'They were promised burial at Arlington National Cemetery. This was a sacred promise. The Army needs to honor our veterans just as our veterans honored our military and our country.'