Marissa King Is Jefferson County’s New Director of Veterans Affairs

Marissa King, Jefferson County Office of Veterans Affairs
Photo by Jeff Depew

Jefferson County Veteran Services has a new face at the helm. Marissa King has spent the month of November introducing herself to local veterans and their families and she is already making an impact in the very busy Veteran Service Office.

King is an active member of the Tennessee National Guard where she serves as an Emergency Care Sergeant. She is also an EMT and has served as a Tennessee Guard Army Recruiter. Marissa spent many years in the Middle Tennessee area before making the move to East Tennessee with her husband. Her unique set of skills, combining her years of service with her medical knowledge, propelled King to the top of the list during the search process to fill the recently vacated position of Veteran Affairs.

King said that she has been doing outreach and handing out business cards at local events. While she has reached many, there are still more to contact. The hands on approach has been successful for King, as she has had more than 20 office visits a day several times since taking the office. She is encouraged by the response and recognizes the need the local veteran community has for assistance.

“It is most difficult to get some older veterans to apply for their benefits. Some don’t feel like they served enough or that they made it out alive while others didn’t so they don’t want to take the benefits. It is hard to get some to accept that the benefits are as much for their family as for the veteran themselves. It takes a burden off the family and those benefits were earned, not just given” said King when discussing challenges of her new position. But, King is committed to helping smooth the way for the local veteran community, including all veterans and their widows.

According to King, many times widows don’t realize that they are entitled to services. She is already working hard to assure that those hard earned benefits are utilized by those that sacrificed for their country in whatever capacity or decade of service.

Carson Newman University will be hosting a Veteran’s Coffee and Conversation this Saturday from 8:30 to 11:30 in the Small Cafeteria at Stokely Memorial Cafeteria. Jefferson County Veteran Service Officer Marissa King, along with other veteran organizations, will be on hand to meet and greet attendees. She encourages Jefferson County veterans to call the Veteran’s Affairs Office and make an appointment to go over their needs and benefit availability.