Oregon Airmen help avert hospital crowding crisis

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Jefferson Thompson
  • 173rd Fighter Wing
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Eric Cates, 173rd Fighter Wing, explains how he assembles Covid testing kits needed during the Omicron Variant Surge to 173rd Fighter Wing Commander, Col. Jeff Edwards, Feb. 11, 2022 at Sky lakes Medical Center in Klamath Falls, Ore. Crates, who had literally joined the unit a few days prior to his activation, was one of the 1,200 Oregon Guardsman activated to support local hospitals with short staffing and heavy patient loads during the pandemic. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Jefferson Thompson)