SK1 Michael Mackin

Petty Officer Mackin is a superstar Navy reservist. He recently returned from a 14-month assignment at a forward operating location in El Salvador. Arriving to a unit that was critically understaffed, Petty Officer Mackin single-handedly implemented crucial logistics, inventory and management processes that helped the unit successfully accomplish its counter-drug flight mission. He volunteered for numerous extra duties in a severely understaffed environment. He rose to the challenge of molding and leading a team consisting of host-nation civilians, U.S. sailors and coastguardsmen and U.S. Customs Service personnel. To promote unit cohesion within this diverse group, Petty Officer Mackin taught himself conversational Spanish to improve communications between the English and Spanish-speaking members of the team. In the aftermath of two major earthquakes, he boosted the morale of hundreds of Salvadoran relief workers by organizing sports and recreational activities and was involved in charitable drives to assist the victims of these quakes. At a significant personal sacrifice and at the request of his commanders, Petty Officer Mackin served three consecutive sets of active duty orders. Petty Officer Mackin's commanding officer describes the intangibles and skill sets he brings as "unique, invaluable and the most impressive of any sailor I have ever served with." "He is universally held with the highest professional and personal esteem, by all he has worked with," said another shipmate.