Lieutenant Colonel Mary Louise Cermak Resch (Bruno, Neb., Women's Army Corps and United States Army)
Mary Louise Resch, a Bruno, Nebraska native has served a member of both the Women's Army Corps and the United States Army for a total of nine years on active duty and an additional six in the US Army Reserve. She served as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician and was the first female EOD instructor at the US Military's Joint Services EOD School. In her final three years of active duty, Ms. Resch provided security for five Presidents of the United States and their First Ladies, along with various heads of state from across the world. She was able to complete her undergraduate degree while on active duty and later received a Master’s of Science in Education in Community-Agency Counseling, focusing on Military Family Therapy.
After her discharge, Mary Louise served another 12 years as a Lieutenant Colonel with the South Carolina State Guard, working as a Protocol Officer and Disaster Manager during back-to-back flooding and hurricanes impacting the state for years. She is also responsible for creating "Operation HP (Hunger Prevention)" that addressed food insecurity within the military community for which she was recognized with a Jefferson Award for community service.
Throughout her successful and selfless career, Ms. Resch has continued to give back into her community and each person she meets.