Sisters doing well in the Air Force

By Don Rush

Oxford resident and mother Prudi Manzella has often been asked recently how her youngest two daughters, Marissa and Kayla are doing. She decided the best way to tell the community was to give a report to the Oxford Leader.

“I am very proud of them. I don’t want to sound like I am bragging, but I guess I am,” Prudi said. “They are both flourishing in their environments.”

While attending Oxford High School, both were known for their play on the volleyball court, both were captains of their teams. And, now both sisters are making careers in the United States Airforce.

According to Prudi, Marissa is now Captain Marissa (Manzella) Vasek. She graduated from OHS in 2010. She joined the Air Force in 2020 after receiving a bachelor of science degree in Health Science at Oakland University in 2015 followed by a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from University of Detroit Mercy in 2018 where she earned the Sister Theresa Noth award for leadership.

She worked at Troy Beaumont Hospital ER before moving to San Antonio, Texas where she worked at Christus Santa Rosa ER prior to joining the AirForce.

She now works at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) as a Certified ER Trauma Nurse, a Critical Care Air Transport Team RN, and the co-developer of the TTREX (Tactical Trauma Reaction and Evacuation Crossover Course) which has trained more than 100 teammates in combat type nursing

“She also wrote a children’s book, Little Tree Nut, based on her personal motto of ‘Grow where you are planted.’ It’s for children to learn they can grow and thrive wherever they may be,” Prudi said.

Marrisa is currently completing her Master’s Degree in Cyber Security and will cross-train into Cyber Security while in the Air Force. She is married to David Vasek a Master Sergeant in the Air Force and together they own a home in San Antonio with their German Shorthair Pointer named Duke.

Kayla is a Staff Sergeant with the Air Force. She graduated from OHS in 2017 and then went to Western Michigan University for a year before joining the force.

“She came home and said college life wasn’t for her and that she was going to join the AirForce,” Prudi said. “We cried and wanted to know why. But, she has done well. She’s very dedicated.”

According to her mother, Kayla went to basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas before moving to Keesler AF Base in Mississippi where she trained In Aviation Resource Management.

Kayla is currently stationed at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada where she does logistics for Search and Rescue. She recently graduated from Airmen Leadership School. She is also finishing her Bachelor degree in Business with a minor in IT. She has won Airman of the Quarter four times and Airman of the Group and was deployed to Kuwait for six months.

Prudi said her husband John also served in the military from 1980 to 1984, and they have always shown respect for the men and women of the armed services. The Manzellas have another daughter, Lisa Weidenbach who lives in Canton and a son, Anthony who lives in Oxford. They have five grandchildren, Andrew, Anthony, and Eva Weidenbach and Hunter and Willow Manzella.

Photos courtesy of the Manzella Family