Michael was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. He attended Rancho HS in North Las Vegas and graduated a full year early in order to enlist in the Marines.  After graduating in 2003, Michael traveled to New York City in order to see first hand the aftermath of September 11th. Michael enlisted in the Bronx, New York in January of 2004. His tours of duty include Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.  

Corporal Dakduk served in the Marine’s 1st Air Naval Gun Fire Liaison Company on his first deployment to Iraq (2005-06). Upon returning, he was promoted to Sergeant (E-5) and was transferred to the 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion (1st MSOB) at Camp Pendleton, Ca.

Sgt. Dakduk’s second and recent deployment was to Afghanistan with Marine Special Operations (2007). Sergeant Dakduk was honorably discharged from active duty in late January of 2008. Sergeant Dakduk’s decorations include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (Combat “V”- Valor), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon (x2), Iraqi Campaign Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and the NATO Medal.

Michael now attends the University of Nevada Las Vegas and is pursuing a B.S. in Public Administration. His educational achievements and scholarships include: 2010 Truman Scholar, UNLV 2009 Outstanding Emerging Leader, UNLV Leadership Scholarship, Nevada Millennium Academic Scholarship, Horatio Alger Military Scholarship, and he is a graduate of the LeaderShape Institute.