HONOREE:
Mark Graboski
BRANCH:
Navy and Coast Guard
GAME:
Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears
Commander Mark Graboski was recognized on the field by WPS Health Solutions and the Green Bay Packers for Operation Fan Mail along with his sons, Sean, and Cameron, and his daughter, Audrey. His family, including his wife, Tammi, and daughter, Alyssa, were cheering him on back at home in Traverse City, Mich.
Mark, originally from Stevens Point, Wis., attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in economics through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1989. He was commissioned an ensign in the Navy and completed deployments to the Western Pacific/Arabian Gulf and to the Joint Interagency Task Force South. In 1995, he began serving as a primary flight instructor at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Florida.
In 2000, Mark transitioned to the Coast Guard through the Direct Commission Aviator Program, serving in Washington, Alabama, and Michigan. Now he serves as the executive officer and helicopter pilot at the Coast Guard Air Station in Traverse City, Mich., where he is responsible for leading a three-helicopter air station and 168 personnel for search-and-rescue operations throughout the Great Lakes and Midwest.
He has accumulated more than 5,600 flight hours in various aircrafts, and his decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, three Coast Guard/ Navy Commendation Medals, two Coast Guard Achievement Medals, and numerous unit, campaign, and service awards.
