Staff Sgt. Robert Mackey, of Jefferson City, received two awards of excellence for his exceptional work during emergency flood response duties in southeast Missouri.
Friday, May 13, 2011 at 5:25PM 
By Spc. Antony S. Lee
SIKESTON, Mo. - Staff Sgt. Robert Mackey, of Jefferson City, received two
awards of excellence for his exceptional work during emergency flood response
duties in southeast Missouri.
Maj. Gen. Michael J. Walsh, president of the Mississippi River Commission,
presented Mackey with a coin to commend him for his hard work.
"I felt honored that a general presented me with a coin for excellence," said
Mackey, a member of the 835th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. "It makes
me proud to know that my hard work and efforts are being recognized."
Mackey has been assisting Col. Wendul Hagler, Missouri National Guard chief
of staff and commander of Guard forces during Operation Show Me Rising Tide,
which began Monday, April 25th.
"Staff Sgt. Mackey has been fantastic," said Hagler. "He's been everywhere
and seen everything I've seen. He did a great job - it was nice of Maj. Gen.
Walsh to recognize him."
Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Aegerter presented Mackey with a second award on
behalf of Hagler at the end of Mackey's rotation. Mackey was originally
tasked to be on duty for only seven days, but ended up staying a total of 12
days.
"It is a privilege to assist the civilians of Missouri during this time of
crisis," said Mackey. "It has been a learning experience to understand what
it takes for soldiers and commanders to run a successful operation during an
emergency event."
Mackey was activated and assigned as a personal asset to the emergency flood
duty leadership. When he received the order to aid fellow Missourians in
their time of need, Mackey immediately stepped forward. He was tasked to
assist Hagler throughout efforts to support the residents of southeast
Missouri who have been affected by floods.
Mackey had to constantly adjust to new missions throughout his tour of duty.
On May 6, he helped establish a safe helicopter landing zone for Missouri
National Guard Black Hawks.
Mackey was confident in helping set up the drop zone, he said. He is familiar
with aviation as he was previously trained in air operations.
Mackey, who is originally from Mexico, Mo., has a son who will be 3 years old
in June and a wife of four years. He joined the Missouri National Guard in
2005 and works full time for the Homeland Response Force at the Blue Armory
in Jefferson City, which responds to emergencies.
He is scheduled to attend a military school in Kansas to be trained as a unit
supply sergeant on May 12 for a future deployment to Egypt.
