Gunnery Sergeant Michael Martin Vicente: Age 48

Gunnery Sergeant (GySgt) Michael Martin Vicente served 20 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. His Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) was Helicopter Crew Chief. He received the following medals, decorations, ribbons and citations: Air Medal-Strike/Flight (7), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (3), Presidential Unit Citation-Navy, Navy Unit Commendation, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal (6), National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal (With 2 stars), Iraq Campaign Medal (With 1 star), Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (Operation Iraqi Freedom), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (3), Marine Corps Drill Instructor Ribbon, NATO Medal-ISAF Afghanistan, Certificate of Commendation (Unit Award), Certificate of Commendation (Individual Award), Letter of Appreciation (9), Expert Rifle Qualification Badge (2), Sharpshooter Pistol Qualification Badge, and Naval Aircrew Insignia.

GySgt Vicente was born October 17, 1976 to his parents, Michael and Elizabeth Vicente in Tampa, FL. He was reared in Tampa and in Orlando, FL, and he graduated from Oakridge High School in Orlando in 1995. He then attended a tech school for nine months to become an electrician. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on December 29, 1996.

GySgt Vicente’s service as a Marine began with his completion of Marine Boot Camp at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, South Carolina. Because of his high test scores and his physical fitness, he was selected to train as a helicopter crew chief. He trained to become a helicopter crew chief at the Naval Air Station, Pensacola, FL, where he attended the Naval Air Crew Candidate School and learned survival swimming and at the Marine Air Station New River, North Carolina, where he learned the mechanics of flying a helicopter.

After his training was completed, GySgt Vicente’s first duty station was at Marine Corps Base Quantico, VA, with the Presidential Helicopter Squadron where he flew and did maintenance on the helicopters used by the Secret Service and staff for one year. This assignment was followed by serving at the Marine Aircraft Support Detachment (MASD) at the Naval Air Facility (NAF) at Washington, D.C. with operational support flying members of Congress and generals in the U.S. Military for three years. Next, he served as a drill instructor at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, S.C., for three years during 2003-2006. He was a leader and believes in leading by example.

GySgt Vicente then was sent to serve four years at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, N.C. working with Heavy Marine Helicopter Squadron (HMH. 464), and while there during 2006-2010,he had three deployments on board the USS Iwo Jima to Djibouti at the Horn of Africa in 2007, to Al Asad, Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2008-2009 and to Afghanistan in 2010 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom serving in a leadership role where he flew helicopters and was in charge of other Marines. These assignments were followed by serving at the Helicopter Mechanics School House at New River Marine Air Station, North Carolina, at the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training (CNATT) where he was the chief instructor for helicopter mechanics for 3.5 years. GySgt Vicente’s last assignment was as an instructor with the Naval R.O.T.C. at Jacksonville University, FL, for four years. He retired there from military service February 1, 2017. His military career included serving as a drill instructor, a water safety instructor, a martial arts instructor, a (6012) What is this?, a helicopter crew chief and a helicopter mechanic. During his service as a Marine, he chose assignments as a drill instructor, a helicopter mechanic instructor and as a R.O.T.C. instructor because he loves to teach.

GySgt Vicente and his wife, Kimberly, have been married 10 years, and they have five children and one grandchild. After discharge from the Marines, using the G.I. Bill, he received a B.A. Degree in Psychology from the University of North Florida in 2019 and a post bachelorette certificate in instructional design from Jacksonville University. He worked for six months in a foster home with at risk youth in Orlando, FL. Since June 2024, he has served as the Dean of Students at the Ivy Classical Academy at Prattville, AL. He has served as a volunteer for 10 years in a non-profit youth leadership organization, Young Marines. In his leisure time, he enjoys exercise, reading and travel.

GySgt Vicente’s conclusions about what serving in the U.S. Marine Corps means to him are: “It taught me to live an intentional honorable life, to have a positive impact to those around me and to live a good life. I would not be the man that I am today if it were not for the Marine Corps.” He would like people to remember him as always being a teacher and a leader who cared about the people around him.