MELSON, Mark

MELSON, Mark. (New Orleans, LA-- ). Navy Cmdr. Melson, a student at HOOVER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL and graduate of WAHLERT CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL attended the University of Utah. When he graduated in 1992, he was awarded the NROTC Distinguished Graduate honor and received his commission.

His first operational tour was with Patrol Squadron TWENTY-SIX at NAS Brunswick, Maine. During his tour with the “Tridents” he completed deployments to Keflavik, Iceland and Sigonella, Sicily on a CNO Project BEARTRAP crew. His ground assignments during this tour included Command Security Manager, Training Schedules Officer and NFO Training Officer.

In May 1998, Commander Melson reported to Commander, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Forces, U.S. Sixth Fleet / Commander, Fleet Air Mediterranean in Naples, Italy in May 1998, where he served as Flag Lieutenant / Flag Aide until May 2000.

Following this tour, Commander Melson reported to the USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV-67) as Assistant Navigator. During this tour, he qualified as Officer of the Deck (Underway) and was awarded the COMNAVAIRLANT Shiphandler of the Year Award for 2001.

In March 2002, Commander Melson was assigned to the Bureau of Naval Personnel where he served as P-3 Aviation Assignments Officer for shore and sea detailing.

Commander Melson then reported to the “Golden Eagles” of Patrol Squadron NINE, at MCBH Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii in February 2004. He served as Command Services Officer, Assistant Maintenance Officer and Maintenance Officer and completed a FIFTH and SEVENTH deployment. He also served as the P-3 Liaison Officer at the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) at Al Udeid Air Base, Doha, Qatar.

In June 2006 he was appointed the naval aide to then-Vice President Dick Cheney. During the tour, Melson accompanied the Vice President on more than fifty domestic and ten overseas trips. In 2011, Melson was the commander of Patrol Squadron 16 "War Eagles" based in Jacksonville, Florida.

In April 2011, Commander Melson was scheduled to relinquish command of Patrol Squadron 16 and return to Washington, D.C. where he was appointed deputy director of the Navy's U. S. Senate liaison office. In this position, he would serve as an advocate for the navy and naval aviation and be a liaison between the Senate members, chief of Naval Operations, and the Secretary of the Navy. He attended graduate school at the Eisenhower School of National Security Management while in Washington, DC. and earned a master's degree n 2014.

U. S. Navy Captain Melson was named commanding officer of the USS Makin Island, an amphibious assault ship in August, 2016. As the commanding officer of the 847-foot warship, he was in command of 2,500 sailors and U.S. Marines. (1)

In 2020 Rear Admiral Melson was assigned to new duties on the Joint Staff of the Pentagon. Since assignment to the USS Makin Island, he had been reassigned to Europe and later the Pentagon where he assisted senior North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Navy officials. In June he became the deputy director for Joint Force Development and Design Integration in the J7 Directorate where he would be involved in analysis and assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the military. (2)

In June 2022, Rear Admiral Melson was appointed commander of the U. S. Navy's top maritime mobile logistics organization in the western Pacific. (3)

Source:

1. Goldstein, Bennett. "New Navy Ship Commander: Dubuque 'Helped Me Grow Up.' " Telegraph Herald, August 17, 2016, p. 1A

2. Goldstein, Bennett. "Dubuque Native Sails to Pentagon Promotion," Telegraph Herald, July 9, 2020, p. 3A

3. "Dubuque Native Assumes Command to Navy's Fleet Logistics Operations in Western Pacific," TH Online, June 16, 2022