More than 700 miles away, an aeromedical team “on alert” slept in their desert dorms. The notice to fly came shortly after midnight. Capt. Nathan Ferguson, a nurse with the 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, rolled over in bed and read his beeper: “You’ve been alerted for an alpha mission. Please contact the CMC (crew management cell) immediately.”
Even while resting, the 379th EAES alert team was poised to fly.
“I jumped in my flight suit and threw on my boots,” said Captain Ferguson. “Then I grabbed my clipboard, headset, gloves and checklist, and took a stash of snacks because you never know how long you will be flying.”
It was a good call. The 379th EAES team would fly for more than 17 hours that day.
