Topic: “Suicide Prevention through the VA”
Jessica Maerz was born in Athens, GA to a US Navy sailor and Filipino nurse. The family moved to WI when she was 3 and that is where she considers “home.”
Following in her father’s and grandfather’s footsteps, she enlisted in the US Navy and started the Delayed Entry Program in 2002. She entered bootcamp in January 2003. She served as an Avionics Technician in the US Navy until July 2008. Her first duty station was Whidbey Island, WA and she was assigned to the EA-6B squadron, VAQ-129. This squadron is a “rag” (training) squadron so Ms. Maerz was able to go on five different aircraft carriers to help train new pilots. During this time, she became the first female troubleshooter assigned to 129’s shooter shack. Her sea duty consisted of going to the P-3C squadron, VP-1, and deploying to NAF Kadena in Okinawa.
After her active duty contract was up, she decided to leave the military and pursue an education in Social Work. She completed her B.A. in Psychology in 2009 and was accepted to the University of Central Florida’s Master of Social Work program in 2010. Ms. Maerz graduated with honors in 2012 and became employed with the Supportive Services for Veteran Families shortly after graduation.
In 2013, she was able to transition her career to the Orlando VAMC in the homeless program. During this time, she married a former “shipmate,” who is still active duty and ended up PCS’ing with him back to Whidbey Island, where they first met. In Whidbey, she worked as a Counselor at the Fleet and Family Service Center on base with the DoD from 2018 until the family’s move again in 2021 to Dallas, TX.
She then started doing therapy with Nursing Home residents, but family duties ended that employment. Ms. Maerz was able to go back to federal service at the Dallas VA in the Suicide Prevention program in 2022. She’s been a supervisor with Suicide Prevention since then.
She has two children, a daughter age 5 and a son age 4. Her experience as active duty military and as a spouse has given her an opportunity to see both sides of deployment and to recognize the importance of a support system. Her husband will be retiring from the Navy in the next 3 years and the family hopes to make the DFW area their home.
Connect with Jessica Maerz at:
Email:
jessica.maerz@va.gov
Website:
https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/suicide_prevention/
Connect on Social Media:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/irvingchung/
Friday Morning Reveille Agenda on June 9th:
7:00am CT Fox Hole Buddies (optional)
7:30am CT National Anthem & Pledge of Allegiance
7:45am CT Introductions
8:05 CT Spotlight Speaker
8:20am CT Announcements
