Deployment Strengthened LMU Ombuds’ Sense of Service

When Johnny Armijo returned to Loyola Marymount University in April 2026 after a six-month deployment to the Middle East, the university ombuds did not return as the same person who left in September 2025. He came back changed by experience, strengthened by service, and deeply grounded in the belief that conflict - when approached with courage, humility, and compassion - can become one of the most powerful opportunities for growth.

During his deployment, Armijo served as the Equal Opportunity Director at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest American military installation in the Middle East, supporting a population of more than 5,000 people. The base included members of the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Space Force, along with locally employed contractors and coalition partners from the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Italy, and Qatar.

In a complex, high-pressure environment, Armijo's mission centered on people.

Now back at LMU, Armijo hopes to bring those lessons into his work as he helps reestablish and grow the university's ombuds program.

He believes colleges and universities are facing increasing stress, polarization, mistrust, and communication breakdowns. But he said he also believes institutions such as LMU have a unique opportunity to model something better: a culture where conflict is not feared or avoided, but approached with courage, honesty, compassion, and care.

His vision for LMU is to help faculty, staff, and students build stronger relationships, healthier communication, and deeper trust across departments, leadership levels, and campus communities. He said he hopes to help create a culture of conflict resolution where people feel safe enough to speak honestly, listen generously, and work through difficult issues with dignity.

"Conflict itself is not the problem," Armijo said. "Conflict is natural. Conflict means people care. The real damage happens when people stop talking, stop trusting, or stop believing they matter."

Every newcomer arriving at Al Udeid encountered him during mandatory orientation briefings. In that role, he became one of the first people service members and civilians associated with trust, support, fairness, and conflict resolution. Over the course of the deployment, he worked with individuals from nearly every part of the installation, including commanders, enlisted members, civilians, contractors, and coalition partners.

His work involved difficult conversations, conflict coaching, facilitated dialogue, mediation, leadership advisement, and emotional support during moments of tension, misunderstanding, stress, and uncertainty. Armijo facilitated more than 100 conversations and mediations, helping people work through interpersonal conflict, workplace concerns, communication breakdowns, and cultural misunderstandings before those issues grew into larger organizational problems.

He also designed and taught resiliency courses, generational conflict workshops, leadership development programs, and communication training sessions focused on strengthening trust, accountability, and cohesion across the base. Drawing from his experience as an ombudsperson and former first sergeant, Armijo created a Leadership Academy for technical sergeants that focused not only on supervision, but also on human-centered leadership, empathy, courage, accountability, and the responsibility leaders have in shaping organizational culture.

He supervised another Equal Opportunity practitioner, mentored first sergeants, supported leaders at multiple levels, and served as a trusted resource for people navigating some of the most difficult conversations of their deployment experience.

"It was one of the most intense learning experiences of my life," Armijo reflected. "You are working with people who are far from home, under pressure, living and working together every day. You learn quickly that conflict is not the enemy. Avoidance is the enemy. Silence is the enemy. Fear is the enemy. Trust, communication, and compassion matter."

For Armijo, the deployment was not simply a military assignment. It was a profound reminder of what it means to serve.

He speaks with humility about the men and women of the military, coalition partners, and civilian personnel who work every day in demanding environments in service to something larger than themselves. He describes the experience as a reminder that leadership is not about title, rank, or recognition. It is about presence, responsibility, and caring for people.

"The work was never about me," he said. "It was about helping people feel heard, respected, and valued during stressful moments. Everyone was carrying something. My role was to help create more understanding, more trust, and hopefully a little more healing wherever I could."

Armijo plans to begin a doctoral program in the LMU School of Education in spring 2027, following his retirement from the United States Air Force Reserve in December 2026 after 34 years of service.

For him, the next chapter is not about stepping away from service. It is about continuing it in a new way.

Whether supporting deployed military personnel overseas or faculty, staff, and students on a university campus, Armijo sees the mission as fundamentally the same: helping people navigate conflict with dignity, humanity, courage, and hope.

And after everything he experienced overseas, he returns to LMU more convinced than ever that compassion, communication, and trust are not soft skills: They are leadership skills; they are culture-building skills. And in a world that desperately needs more understanding, they may be among the most important skills of all.