NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — A group of Air Reserves citizen airmen boarded a C-130 military transport plane on Wednesday in Niagara Falls and headed to the New York City area to assist in coronavirus pandemic efforts.
The group of airmen included 11 nurses from the Niagara Falls-based 914th Areomedical Staging Squadron (ASTS), and five from the 934th ASTS from Minneaspolis-St.Paul Air Reserve Station, Minnesota.
All 11 of the nurses from the Niagara Falls squadron are from Western New York, except for one from Erie, Pennsylvania, and one from Ottawa, Canada.
The military plane made the stop in Niagara Falls to pick up the airmen and supplies after departing Youngstown ARS in Ohio.
The plane's destination for the airmen and supplies was the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL) in New Jersey, where the airmen will further disperse to areas in need.
Peter Borys wrote for the 914th Air Refueling Wing's Public Affairs news about one local, Captain John Copas, who is a former Marine and teaches nursing full-time at D'Youville.
"A lot of people like to go to New York City for their birthday. I'm getting my chance for free," Copas joked to Borys.
Copas had a busy week prior to this deployment, celebrating his and his mother's birthdays, as well as completing his second master's degree for psychological nurse practitioner.
For many they can get the call for deployment very shortly before departure.
"We did prepare. We had a little bit of notice that we might expect a call. My kids are a little scared, but they're also proud and excited that I get to be part of the people who are helping," Copas added.
Copas is also works as a nursing informatics specialist at Niagara Falls Memorial Hospital through his civilian deployment.
"I think everybody needs to ask themselves--what can I do? Maybe it's putting on a mask and gloves at home, but this is what we can do. I'm pretty happy to be doing it," Copas said.
The airmen will not know know where they will serve until they arrive, but they do expect to work 12-hour shifts over the next six months of deployment.
The Niagara team is led by chief nurse Lt. Col. Stacy Shourt. Followed by Maj. Mark Burkard, Maj. Janine Merville, Maj. Christopher Schoch, Capt. Deana Stefko, Capt. Megan Heimerl, Capt. Tara Gensler, Capt. John Copas, 1st Lt. Joseph Gross, 1st Lt. Jordan Valori, and 1st Lt. Kallie McCallum.
To read more about the deployment, you can visit the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station's website and the story by Borys.
