CHARLESTON, W.Va. –
The 167th Airlift Wing, located in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and 130th Airlift Wing, located in Charleston, West Virginia, will honor front line COVID-19 healthcare and first responders with a flyover of hospitals in the region, May 13, as part of the Department of the Air Force’s Operation American Resolve.
A 167th AW C-17 Globemaster III aircraft will fly over Berkeley Medical Center, Martinsburg, W.Va.; Meritus Medical Center, Hagerstown, Md.; War Memorial Hospital, Berkeley Springs, W.Va.; Western Maryland Regional Medical Center, Cumberland, Md.; Potomac Valley Hospital, Keyser, W.Va.; Grant Memorial Hospital, Petersburg, W.Va.; Hampshire Memorial Hospital, Romney, W.Va.; Winchester Medical Center, Winchester, Va.; Jefferson Medical Center, Ranson, W.Va.; and the Martinsburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
The 167th AW flyovers will begin at 10 a.m. with approximately five to 10 minutes between each location and will conclude by 11 a.m. The C-17 will circle each location once before flying on to the next location.
A 130th AW C-130H Hercules aircraft will fly over Charleston Area Medical Center Teays Valley, Teays Valley, W.Va.; Cabell Huntington Hospital Huntington, W.Va.; Pleasant Valley Hospital, Point Pleasant, W.Va.; Jackson General Hospital, Ripley, W.Va.; Braxton County Memorial Hospital, Gassaway, W.Va.; Summersville Regional Medical Center, Summersville, W.Va.; Greenbrier Valley Medical Center, Lewisburg, W.Va.; Summers County Appalachian Regional Hospital, Hinton, W.Va.; Princeton Community Hospital, Princeton, W.Va.; Bluefield Regional Medical Center, Bluefield, W.Va.; Welch Community Hospital, Welch, W.Va.; Logan Regional Medical Center, Logan, W.Va.; Boone Memorial Hospital, Madison, W.Va.; Raleigh General Hospital, Beckley, W.Va.; Plateau Medical Center, Oak Hill, W.Va.; Montgomery General Hospital, Montgomery, W.Va.; Charleston Area Medical Center Memorial, Charleston, W.Va.; Charleston Area Medical Center General, Charleston, W.Va.; St. Francis Hospital, Charleston, W.Va.; Charleston Area Medical Center Women and Children’s, Hospital, Charleston, W.Va.; Thomas Memorial Hospital, South Charleston, W.Va.;and Family Care, St. Albans, W.Va.
The 130th AW flyovers will begin at 11 a.m. with approximately five to 10 minutes between each location and will conclude by 1:30 p.m. The C-130 will circle each location once before flying on to the next location.
The flyovers, part of a nation-wide salute to those supporting COVID-19 response efforts, is intended to lift morale due to the health and economic impacts of the pandemic. The flyover will serve as training for both 167th AW and 130th AW pilots and is conducted at no additional cost to taxpayers.
“It is an honor for the West Virginia Air National Guard to couple our vital training to maintain proficiency with providing a morale boost to those on the frontlines of fighting COVID-19 here in West Virginia and in our surrounding areas,” said Brig. Gen. Christopher “Mookie” Walker, commander of the West Virginia Air National Guard. “Our healthcare workers are invaluable members of our society and deserve all the praise and recognition for what they do every day. It is our hope that by seeing our aircraft in the sky, these men and women will know that they are not in this fight alone and that the West Virginia National Guard is proud to stand alongside them in our state’s response to this pandemic.”
Residents are asked to maintain social distancing guidelines during this event and should refrain from traveling to these hospitals and gathering in groups to view the flyover.
The date and times are subject to change due to weather.