By Cory Maldonado
Senior, English/Film Studies, IUPUI
The coronavirus pandemic has impacted the daily lives of nearly everyone everywhere. Its effects touch activities like going to work, going to the gym, going to school, going to see friends, and a host of others.
These effects have also been felt within the Armed Forces. I started my military career in 2011 and served seven years on active duty before transitioning to the Air National Guard in August 2018. Now I am assigned to the 181st Intelligence Wing (181 IW) at Hulman Field in Terre Haute as a Staff Sergeant and Public Health Technician. Our Public Health mission consists of inspecting dining facilities, and conducting audiograms and educating members on diseases, disease prevention, and proper sanitation. Furthermore, the state of Indiana has activated members of the 181 IW so volunteers from our wing are tasked with transporting patients who no longer require ventilators in the ICU beds to other locations.
When I reported for duty the weekend of March 7, the coronavirus was the main topic of discussion. My team immediately went to work educating the 800 members on base about the virus, stressing the need to wash their hands and educating them on how to properly do so. We also educated members about how to implement change into their daily routines in light of the order that forced us all to operate from home during our monthly drill.
Senior Airman Jessica Farkas, a Public Health Technician under my supervision, created modules designed to carry out our education duty. Our main goal was to ensure no member of our team was misinformed and could identify inaccurate information if and when they come across it. She also handles the daily operations of our Public Health team by delivering updated guidance and directives to members about how to report and/or protect ourselves during this time.
Farkas’ efforts have heightened my awareness of the need to maintain all proper protocols related to the coronavirus even when I’m not wearing the uniform. I often find myself stressing the importance of quarantine and social distancing to family and friends because of the impact it has and because of the emphasis being put on it by our leadership. I have witnessed the severity of this coronavirus and how it has affected businesses, the government, education, and various other entities.
One possible outcome of all this is an increase in my duty hours. The reality of that happening is unknown at the moment but I remain ready and willing to answer the call if need be, even though that would require further change and adjustment as I am also a full-time student at IUPUI. All of my classes have moved online and consist of virtual interactions and live-video sessions, and in some cases, an increase in the workload.
Now that our unit has transitioned to working from home, my time spent at home has increased dramatically. I live just outside downtown Indianapolis with my wife, who is also a full-time student and she too has been forced to endure the shift to a virtual learning experience. We keep the mindset of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, while also remaining busy with schoolwork, exercise, and doing tasks for our employers. I was set to walk across the stage in May and accept my hard-earned diploma, but that too has fallen to this pandemic. And even though that may have been the biggest blow of all this from my perspective as a student, I want my actions to remain exemplary and act within the guidance handed down by the Department of Defense as well as Governor Holcomb. I do this by adhering to orders such as “Stay Home” and “Maintain Social Distancing.”
It is part of my mission to represent the Air Force in a positive light and ensure my actions don't contradict my orders or instruction.