FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – As the United States of America celebrates Independence Day on July 4, the New England Revolution proudly applaud all of the brave men and women who serve our country.
One of these noble women, who works diligently behind the scenes as a logistics specialist for the Navy, is Revolution Season Member Ann Marie Mackin.
“I work on the submarine program,” said Mackin. “It’s actually considered provisioning. We review engineering changes and any other new equipment that comes along. It’s my job to figure out what we’re going to use for the parts. I’m their Subject Matter Expert (SME) when it comes to the supply support portion of the logistics.
“We have the saying that ‘we support the sailors.’ It’s about the fleet and it’s about the sailor. Every day our mindset is about getting the sailor what he needs.”
Mackin compares her role to that of a mechanic working on automotive vehicles. Similar to how a mechanic needs to monitor car parts to fix vehicles, Mackin does the same for the Navy’s submarines. In order to make sure that the fleet’s ships are working right, Mackin has to keep track of every part that will allow the fleet to function to the best of their abilities.
“There is a database that everything goes through. The boat on board will have an allowance parts list,” said Mackin. “Once you troubleshoot down and figure out what is broken, then you have to order that part. That’s when my job comes in to make sure their parts are always updated. When they have to make that repair, they know what they need to have.”
While Mackin’s role is behind the scenes, she takes great pride in her critical function by ensuring the country's submarines operate smoothly.
“We have the best and the brightest out there in our service great men and women,” said Mackin. “We’re extremely lucky as a country, whether we know it or not that we have these great men and women and young people out there devoting their lives to keeping us free.”
Mackin has been a Revolution Season Member for six years, and she's been coming to Gillette Stadium matches for over 10 years. Her favorite aspect of Revs games are the ‘Salute to Heroes’ moments when the Stadium honors Military members.
“I really like the way that Gillette and the Kraft family have run the Revolution,” said Mackin. “They do such a great job with families and giving you the little extras. They even have the nice section where guys can stand up for the Military. That always chokes me up to see those guys up there waving. It seems like they really know how to honor people.”
In addition to the special ‘Salute to Heroes’ moments at matches, Mackin and her family have made special memories each year as Season Members.
“We’ve really not only taken advantage of being season ticket holders, but also getting everything extra you’ve had to offer," she said. "I was always like ‘how does a kid get to walk out with the players before a game? I want to do that!’ My kid was freaking out for that. He has done everything.”
While Mackin and her family won’t be at Gillette Stadium this July to watch a Revs game like they are each year, they are eagerly gearing up to cheer on the Revs in the MLS is Back Tournament.
“We really miss our seats [at Gillette Stadium]!” said Mackin.
“We’re very much looking forward to [the MLS is Back Tournament]. Soccer is our lives. It will be definitely taped if we can’t see it at that moment.”
