Official Biography

SSgt Arden was born on October 11, 1990, in Houston, TX. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in January 2015. After completing recruit training at MCRD San Diego, CA and Marine Combat Training at Camp Pendleton, CA, he reported to the Naval School of Music in Virginia Beach, VA for “A” school training as a Basic Musician and earned the Military Occupational Specialty of 5524 Musician.

In October 2015, upon graduation from the Basic Music Course, Lance Corporal Arden was assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) Band in Okinawa, Japan for duty as a Saxophone Instrumentalist. While there, he was promoted to Corporal in August 2016 and to Sergeant in February 2018. During his tour, Sergeant Arden performed with the Ceremonial Band, Concert Band, Jazz Combo, Brass Band, and as a non-MOS vocalist leading the Popular Music Group for audiences across the Pacific Theater including Guam, Malaysia, and Thailand. Additionally, he served in the billets of audio engineer, Fireteam Leader, and Saxophone Section Leader, aiding in the development of other Saxophone Instrumentalists in the unit.

In March 2019, Sergeant Arden received orders to Marine Corps Base (MCB) Quantico, VA to serve as a Saxophone Instrumentalist. While there, Sgt Arden performed with the Quantico Band’s Ceremonial Band, Concert Band, Jazz Combo, Brass Band, and Popular Music group for audiences in the National Capital region. Additionally, Sgt Arden served in the billets of Sound Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC), Fireteam Leader, Saxophone Section Leader, and Security Augmentation Force (SAF) NCOIC. Throughout 2020, Sgt Arden lead and organized a platoon of 34 Marines in support of MCB Quantico’s base security during the Covid 19 Pandemic by providing reinforcements to gate security during 3 activations.

In January 2022, Sergeant Arden received orders to attend the Unit Leader Course at the Naval School of Music, Little Creek, VA. During that time, Sgt Arden also appraised to fill the position of Saxophone Instructor at the School. Upon successful completion of the Unit Leader Course, Sgt Arden transferred from student to instructor at the Naval School of Music in August 2022 to be the Saxophone Instructor. In June 2023 he was assigned to his current role as Woodwind Branch Head, supervising the instruction of all Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Oboe, and Bassoon Basic Music Students in addition to his duties as Saxophone Instrumental Instructor. In May 2025, he was promoted to his current rank of Staff Sergeant. Staff Sergeant Arden also fulfills the duty of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Victim Advocate for the unit.

SSgt Arden’s personal awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with one gold star. He holds a Bachelor of Music Performance in Jazz Studies.