PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AIR RESERVE STATION, Pa. -- Two members of the 911th Aeromedical Staging Squadron were mobilized to support the national COVID-19 response, April 22, 2020.
This is the second wave of doctors, nurses, and respiratory technicians to depart from the 911th AW in recent weeks to support pandemic response efforts. The first, which was reported on April 5, consisted of approximately 10 members who arrived in New York City to augment civilian medical personnel and first responders.
The additional Airmen departed for Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, earlier this morning, where they will link up with more than 150 Reserve Citizen Airmen who are bound for various locations across the country. They will support Joint Task Force New York – New Jersey and join a team of service members from across the Department of Defense assisting medical providers in the region as they work together to care for Americans.
“Our first priority continues to be taking care of and protecting our fellow Americans, as well as our Airmen and their families,” said Col. John F. Robinson, 911th Airlift Wing commander. “We are proud to have Steel Airmen representing the Pittsburgh community as part of the Total Force pandemic response team that is saving lives every day.”
This latest deployment brings the total of Air Force Reservists mobilized in support of COVID-19 relief efforts to more than 770 around the nation.
This mobilization follows an executive order signed by President Donald J. Trump on March 27 that authorized the Secretary of Defense to call members of the Selected Reserve, Individual Ready Reserve and National Guard to active duty.