Commissary senior enlisted advisor thanks store associates for dedication in delivering the benefit

NOTE: To see photos related to this release on DeCA’s Flickr page, click here.

FORT GREGG-ADAMS, Va. – Marine Sgt. Maj. Michael R. Saucedo has logged his share of miles over the past three years visiting commissaries as the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) senior enlisted advisor to the agency director.

However, his commissary visits are now relegated to shopping as he exits the agency on the way toward his retirement from the Marine Corps after nearly 33 years of service.

During a senior enlisted advisor relief and appointment ceremony Oct. 30 at DeCA’s Headquarters and Support Center, Saucedo passed the baton to Navy Command Master Chief Mario S. Rivers. Rivers’ previous assignment was as the command master chief for Commander, Navy Region Hawaii.

At DeCA, the senior enlisted advisor is responsible for advising the agency director on all service members’ needs related to the commissary benefit and serving as the agency liaison with the senior enlisted chiefs of the armed services. The advisor also ensures command climate, morale, health and welfare of the total workforce are maintained at the highest level.

“The role of DeCA’s senior enlisted advisor cannot be overstated,” said John Hall, DeCA director and CEO. “The senior enlisted advisor is the connective tissue that holds us all together and allows DeCA to bring the best version of the commissary benefit to all servicemembers and their families – indeed to all authorized shoppers.

“Sgt. Maj. Michael Saucedo has delivered incredible accomplishments in his three years as a senior enlisted advisor in DeCA,” Hall added. “Thank you, sergeant major. DeCA is in a better place today thanks to your amazing productive time with us – pounding the pavement and moving us forward.”

Hall credited Saucedo’s significant impact on the agency’s patron savings of 25.5% and its 10% boost in sales from FY 2022, including several initiatives that surged during his tenure as senior enlisted advisor. This impact included his support and leadership of the following programs:

• The agency’s eCommerce presence through the worldwide deployment of Commissary CLICK2GO (online ordering and curbside pickup service).

• DeCA’s “Commissary Outside the Walls” strategy of unit drop-off locations for Guard and Reserve, support of the Army’s Culinary Outpost operations and the agency’s ongoing piloting of home delivery.

• DeCA’s participation in all branches of service-initial military training courses. This program educated and informed more than 150,000 recruits annually about this important quality of life benefit.

• The agency’s outreach programs, marketing objectives, patron awareness, digital platforms and the nutritional guide program.

“DeCA has a great mission with a great workforce. Every chance I could tell their story I ensured our patrons knew that our [store associates] were the heroes in my book,” said Saucedo during the ceremony. “You cannot telework selling groceries, and during COVID, a pandemic we didn’t really understand and were unsure of, they were in the stores wiping the carts down with disinfectant, enforcing the unpopular mask policy and delivering the benefit to our warfighters and their families.”

The following are some highlights of Saucedo’s military career:

• In March 1991, he enlisted in the Marine Corps as a field radio operator. Upon completing basic training, he attended Marine Corps Communication Electronic Schools (MCCES), Twentynine Palms, California.

• In 1994, Saucedo participated in contingency operations in the Indian Ocean related to Mogadishu, Somalia (Operation Restore Hope) with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). His unit also participated in Operations Provide Promise and Deny Flight as a component of Joint Task Force Provide Promise.

• From 1997 to 2000, he served as a Marine security guard at American Embassies in Mexico City, Mexico; Nicosia, Cyprus; and Tokyo, Japan.

• In June 2000, he was assigned to Dhaka, Bangladesh, as a detachment commander. Saucedo was selected as Charlie Company’s Marine Security Guard of the Year for 2000 and later received a meritorious promotion to gunnery sergeant.

• In November 2002, he deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. He was selected as noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the I Marine Expeditionary Force Commanding General’s Jump Command Post Communications Staff.

• Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Saucedo, then the aviation combat element sergeant major for the 31st MEU, participated in Operation Tomodachi. There, his Marines helped provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

• In 2012, Saucedo deployed to South Korea, serving as the Marine Aircraft Group Task Force sergeant major during Exercise Ssang Yong ’13 with the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and Republic of Korea Marine Corps.

• In June 2014, he transferred to Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Installations West-Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California.

• In December 2016, Saucedo served as the sergeant major, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Korea.

During his retirement ceremony on Oct. 31, Saucedo paid tribute to his family for their love and support throughout his military career. He also thanked previous DeCA leadership, specifically Retired Navy Rear Adm. Robert Bianchi for selecting him as senior enlisted advisor, and recently retired director Bill Moore for empowering him. 

 “I’ve been asked what I like most about working at DeCA,” Saucedo said. “For me, it was visiting our stores, where the rubber meets the road, shaking their hands and giving them coins in appreciation of their hard work and dedication,” Saucedo said. “Seeing their passion was an emotional experience for me, so ‘thank you’ to our store workers for making it happen for our patrons each and every day.”

-DeCA-

About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.