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New Jersey Airman supports Atlantic City mission

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Matt Hecht
  • New Jersey National Guard

New Jersey Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Samantha Massey, originally from Paramus, N.J., is one of more than 700 New Jersey National Guard members activated to support the state during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Massey normally works part-time with the 177th Fighter Wing, where she originally maintained and repaired the equipment that supplies electricity, hydraulic pressure and air pressure to F-16 fighter planes, and now works in the education and training office. Her full-time job as a civilian is managing a team with Starbucks Coffee Company in Vineland.

While activated with the Guard, Massey is working with Task Force Atlantic City, where she assisted with the initial setup and is now manning the main entrance providing security for a Federal Medical Station. Federal Medical Stations are rapidly deployable caches containing beds, supplies, and medicines which can quickly turn a pre-identified building into a temporary medical shelter during a national emergency. Care can be provided for 50 to 250 patients for three days before needing resupply.

Leadership on site noted that Massey’s skills as a manager had a direct impact on the mission.

“It feels amazing to be able to help and serve the citizens of New Jersey” said Massey. “I’m a Starbucks store manager for my outside job, we do a lot of staffing and scheduling, and that’s really helped out during this mission with being tasked to create and maintain work schedules for our Airmen.”

Massey’s duties at the site include checking temperatures for all staff and visitors at the entry control point, as well as creating and issuing security badges for the medical station.

Massey said the the most amazing thing for her is being able to support the doctors and nurses in Atlantic City who are working to save COVID-19 patients.

“The medical staff are the real heroes, and it’s an honor to be here to support them and the mission.”

The New Jersey Air National Guard currently has more than 200 Airmen providing medical care in state-run nursing facilities, security and hospital administration at Federal Medical Stations, and traffic control at COVID-19 testing sites.