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He's serving in more ways than one

A casualty assistance officer and suite manager finds both of his jobs "very rewarding."

By ALEXANDRA ZAYAS
Published May 5, 2006

By night, Mikesell, 37, oversees the wait staff of the luxury suites at the St. Pete Times Forum. He rubs elbows with celebs who like privacy and pampering and makes sure drinks are chilled and food is fresh.

To outsiders, Mikesell's jobs could appear as different as, well, night and day. But Mikesell sees one common career objective: serving people.

The Ohio native joined the Air Force straight out of Ohio State University because he wanted to see the world.

He saw Italy. He saw Iraq. He loved Tampa.

To make sure he could stay in Tampa, Mikesell applied for a job in casualty assistance at MacDill. Nine years later, Mikesell says he has gotten used to the sadness and focuses on helping families recover.

"It's very rewarding," Mikesell said.

Still, he can't shake the memory of his first notification. It was Christmas Eve, and a soldier had hanged himself in Korea. As he broke the news to the man's ex-wife, their 4-year-old son told Mikesell that his father was coming home for Christmas.

"I will never forget that," Mikesell said.

Mikesell has learned a lot about grief and how differently people take loss as he handles cases from Gainesville to Miami. A stoic father took his son's death with pride but had a stroke a month later. Another dad ran out the door the second he got his $12,000 death gratuity check, eager to spend it.

His day job sparked Mikesell's interest in the nuances of humankind. His night job set it ablaze, making him a professional people-watcher.

Seven years ago, Mikesell took a job as a cashier at the St. Pete Times Forum to make extra cash. These days as suite manager, he awaits Tampa Bay Lightning president Ron Campbell outside his suite with a handshake and a smile.

Suite owners are as varied as his military families. Some greet him with hugs and hellos. Others tell him waiters should be seen and not heard.

But the thing that remains constant is the 6 or 7 miles he walks around the 100-level with his walkie-talkie every night, checking in on guests, making sure trash bins are empty and drink glasses are full.

Mikesell's boss calls the military man precise.

"If he forgets to bring brown socks to go with his brown pants, he stops at Wal-Mart to buy them," Donna Lahre said. "That's the kind of mentality that keeps him on task with everything."

Mikesell loves both of his jobs. He doesn't sleep more than five hours on the average night at his home in Valrico, but Mikesell doesn't care.

"I don't consider myself a workaholic, but I do like to work," Mikesell said.

Alexandra Zayas can be reached at 813226-3354 or azayas@sptimes.com.

[Last modified May 5, 2006, 08:49:21]