by Rick
Burke, Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
PORTLAND,
MAINE - A 2000 graduate of Souderton High School and Souderton, Pennsylvania
native, volunteers in the Portland, Maine community to help those in need.
U.S. Navy Reserve Petty Officer 1st Class
Michelle Bellino is a logistics specialist and Leading Petty Officer (LPO) serving
at Surge Maine Bangor, a special needs program for Naval Sea Systems Command.
“It means a lot to me to give back to my community and help
the needy,” said Bellino. “Some are not
able to help themselves due to mental illness and lack of family support and me
volunteering, makes a small change in their lives. Another reason is to show my
children how to be humble and to teach them what it means to be a good citizen
and give back to our community.”
As a logistics specialist, Bellino is responsible
for providing supply and logistic support for shore and afloat forces. This
involves purchasing, tracking and expediting high priority material for the
command and air wing. Additionally, she manages budget and financial controls
for multiple departments within her command.
Her duties as the LPO of her command includes
numerous responsibilities.
“I manage the administrative needs of a 15 member unit and
ensure they are all qualified to work in the shops with shipyard employees, to
properly perform refueling, overhaul, repairs and inactivation of submarines
and other ships assigned to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, New Hampshire," she said.
Bellino volunteered at the Preble Resource
Center during Portland Navy Week, a program intended to increase Navy
awareness by presenting the Navy to Americans who live in cities that normally
do not have a significant naval presence.
The Preble Street Resource Center is the hub
of services for hundreds of homeless people in Portland—meeting urgent needs at
an on-site clothing closet, soup kitchen, and food pantry; coordinating hours
with the City of Portland Men’s Shelter, and providing direct access to
casework services.
“Sailors look for and enjoy
volunteer opportunities,” said Cmdr. Kathleen Allen, officer in charge of Navy
Reserve (NR) Navy Recruiting District (NRD) Minneapolis. “Petty Officer Bellino
is a great example of the high performance and dedication we share by
volunteering in the local communities. Our Sailors make a difference every
day.” NR NRD Minneapolis supported NRD
New England in community relations events throughout the week.
Bellino has carried lessons learned from her
hometown into to her military service.
“I was raised how to treat
people with respect and a lot comes from the way that I was raised with a
military background,” said Bellino. “This upbringing made me want to join the Navy because it was always something that I had no doubt I could excel in.”
“Playing in organized sports
such as soccer and basketball, gave me the opportunity to learn teamwork and
develop friendships that helped me become a people-person. That helped me get
through some difficult times in the military; such as being out to sea and working
in a stressful environment with no sleep,” she added.
Bellino
has military ties with family members who have previously served and is honored
to carry on the family tradition.
“My father received a Purple Heart during
Vietnam War as an Army infantryman serving on the banks of Cambodia,” she said.
“I'm also married to a Navy veteran I met in the military while serving aboard
the aircraft carrier, USS George Washington.”
Bellino’s proudest
accomplishment was receiving her first Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medal
while serving a six-month deployment with a beach detachment unit, which
provided support for George Washington at Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella,
Italy.
“I
was solely responsible for the manifestation of cargo and high priority
aircraft parts while providing daily status reports,” said Bellino. “This
unique opportunity allowed me to mature both professionally and personally and
taught me the necessary skills needed to perform in a leadership role.”
The morals and values instilled from
serving in the Navy have molded Bellino into a leader and continue to develop
essential traits needed for success.
Bellino said her service in
the Navy is important because she gets to work in a profession that allows her
to fight for her country and provides an opportunity to work in challenging
environments.
“This is something that I
will always be proud of and my kids can see how their mother actively served in
the military to give them a better life. The Navy was able to mold me into an
honorable person that my peers and family members could be proud of,” she said.