Together We Can

No matter the threat or where the front line may be, our Armed Forces protect and defend us every day.

The USO and Coca-Cola salute those who serve and share stories of service members who are front line military heroes as the world combats COVID-19. Join us in celebrating the dedication of our troops and thanking our men and women in uniform who show extraordinary courage and effort to serve others.

Otto Mejia

Rank: Hospital Corpsman Third Class

Branch: U.S. Navy

Location: Florida

Hospital Corpsman Third Class Otto Mejia is currently an advanced medical laboratory technician serving in the U.S. Navy at the Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Center in Pensacola, Florida (formally known as Naval Hospital Pensacola). Mejia is a USO volunteer, serving the centers at Corry Station and NAS Pensacola, and he has recruited several other service members to volunteer as well. During COVID-19, he has been helping his fellow command by reaching out to his community to boost morale on his team. Mejia is a member of the military social events association at the hospital and he is the liaison for his command and the community. He helped the USO of Northwest Florida deliver more than 350 snacks and drinks to the hospital during the pandemic. Originally from Houston, Texas, Mejia enlisted in the United States Navy in 2010.

---

Charles H. Hoffman

Rank: Specialist

Branch: U.S. Army National Guard

Location: South Carolina

Spc. Charles H. Hoffman has served in the South Carolina National Guard for two years. Throughout COVID-19, Hoffman and his fellow soldiers of the 117th EN BDE and 1050th Transportation Battalion have been helping deliver daily meals to children in Horry County. Hoffman also helped to raise money and organize donations to distribute more than 2,000 books to the children and families. Hoffman was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and grew up in Clover, South Carolina. He currently attends Winthrop University and is studying elementary education. His parents are both veterans: his mother was a Judge Advocate General (JAG) in the Tennessee Army Guard for 24 years and his father was a field artillery officer in the 101st Airborne Division.

---

Rachel Fox

Rank: Sergeant

Branch: U.S. Army

Location: Kaiserslautern, Germany

Sgt. Rachel Fox currently serves as the the executive administrative assistant to Command Sgt. Maj. Sean M. Howard of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command. Since starting at 21st TSC, Fox has been instrumental in supporting Howard during the unprecedented time with COVID-19. She has focused on efforts that boost moral, including coordinating the 21st CSM’s 200 Mile Iron Challenge for the entire community.

Fox is a native of Dallas, Texas, and enlisted in the Army in May of 2017. She attended Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Her first duty assignment was 30th Medical Brigade in Sembach, Germany, serving as a human resource specialist. In 2018, SGT Fox competed and won the 2nd Quarter Best Warrior Competition at 30th Medical Brigade. She was also named the U.S. Army Europe Human Resource Soldier of the Year for 2018. Fox has also volunteered as the Family Readiness Liason for HHC, 30th Medical Brigade. She planned and executed multiple events to build unit cohesion. Her care for the soldiers, civilians and families helped enhance soldier and family readiness.

---

Caleb Perkins and Nathan Hunsaker

Branch: U.S. Army

Location: Landstuhl, Germany

Capt. Perkins and 1st Sgt. Hunsaker serve at the Military Transient Detachment Commander at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, which is located in Germany and serves as the largest U.S. military hospital overseas. These service members have provided mission critical support during COVID-19, including:

• Managing two 124-bed dormitories, one of which was turned into a COVID-19 isolation dormitory

• Ensuring all safety measures and guidelines are met to prevent the spread of COVID with the constant rotation of soldiers residing in both dormitories

• Responsible for weekly Aeromedical flights for soldiers going back to the United States, needing additional health care or returning to their prospective bases

Capt. Caleb Perkins is from Wilmington, Delaware. He was commissioned as a medical service corps officer through Temple University’s Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program in May 2013. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry through Temple University in 2013.

1st. Sgt. Nathan Hunsaker enlisted into the U.S. Army in 1999. He attended Basic Combat Training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma and AIT at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

---

Chris Beach

Rank: Major

Branch: U.S. Army

Location: Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Maj. Beach serves as the chief of operations for America’s Guard of Honor - the 82nd Airborne Division. Paratroopers from the division are deployed around the world in support of our nation’s strategic objectives as well as here in the U.S. supporting the efforts against COVID-19. Beach has been instrumental in managing the day-to-day operations for the entire division, including the redeployment and quarantine of more than 5,000 paratroopers returning from overseas deployments.

His leadership and oversight helped to contain and prevent the potential spread of COVID-19, while ensuring the highest state of readiness for the entire 82nd Airborne Division. Originally from Kingston, New York, Beach joined the U.S. Army in May 2007 after graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He has served in the 3rd Infantry Division and the 82nd Airborne Division as an infantry officer and has deployed three times in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq.

---

Maxwell Holahan

Rank: Lance Corporal

Branch: U.S. Marine Corps

Location: Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

Marine Lance Cpl. Holahan deployed to the Northeast United States to support the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While there as part of Task Force Northeast, he supported communication requirements which allowed the command and control of joint Title 10 forces in the region and ensured real-time communication capabilities for U.S. Army Urban Augmentation Medical Task Forces, a U.S. Navy Expeditionary Medical Facility and U.S. Air Force Reserve medical personnel working in local medical facilities. His ability to deploy, build, configure, and maintain communications gear proved invaluable to accomplishing the mission.

Holahan, from Sarasota, Florida, joined the U.S. Marine Corps in August 2018 and completed recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. Since reporting to the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade in 2019, he supported numerous exercises and operations around the globe as a Network Administrator. Holahan’s awards include the Arctic Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

---

Carly Coleman

Rank: Technical Sergeant

Branch: U.S. Air Force

Location: Pope Army Air Field/Fort Bragg, North Carolina

For more than 57 days, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Coleman supported the coordination of medical care to 43 AMOG and tenant unit personnel in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She coordinated and facilitated clinical care (face-to-face apts, labs, medication distribution) and performed COVID-19 testing. She also coordinated and provided the front door screenings of all members entering Byars Clinic, coordinated pre-deployment care with Army leadership and screened patients for routine care/appts. Furthermore, Coleman established the processes to maintain personnel deployment readiness. This process tracks health assessments, flying waivers and immunizations ensuring the medical deployability of AMOG and tenant units.

---

John Tuepker

Rank: Lieutenant Colonel

Branch: U.S. Air Force

Location: Pope Army Air Field/Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Lt. Col. Tuepker Serves as the Chief Medical Officer at Pope AAF, NC. He successfully interpreted and implemented clinical guidelines and recommendations from the WHO, CDC, DHA, VIII Airborne and Air Force. His efforts were instrumental in overseeing 500 in-person/virtual appointments, while standing up a 24/7 monitoring platform for individuals in insolation/quarantine due to COVID-19 concerns.

Additionally, Tuepker directed safety protocols to 2000 airmen under his care and through his savvy leadership, the airmen at Pope Army Air Field have not reported a single positive COVID-19 case.

---

Milanie Laigo Flores

Rank: Technical Sergeant

Branch: U.S. Air Force

Location: Pope Army Air Field/Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Laigo Flores lead the 24/7 operations of the 43 MDS Unit Control Center in response to the COVID-19 pandemic for more than 57 days. In addition, she developed the Pope Army Air Field personnel medical tracking process ensuring clear communication with Air Mobility Operations Group (AMOG) and Major Command (MAJCOM) leadership and accountably of all personnel suspected/impacted by COVID-19. This process IDs, assesses and clears members to return to duty enabling the AMOG and Pope AAF partner unit’s mission of supporting the immediate response force amid the global pandemic.

---

Sheryl Bedno

Rank: Colonel

Branch: U.S. Army

Location: Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Col. Bedno serves as the Director of Womack Army Medical Center’s Department of Public Health. She organized a regional working group of health care professionals from the state, eight counties, several universities, military and other public and private organizations to discuss and plan how we should react to an outbreak of COVID-19 in North Carolina. This working group met before the State of North Carolina held it’s first working session on COVID-19.

---

Tristan McDermid

Rank: Private First Class

Branch: U.S. Army

Location: Fort Bragg, North Carolina

As a parachute rigger with the 647th Quarter Master Company, Pvt. 1st Class McDermid has utilized his skills as part of the aerial equipment repair team to produce more than 1,500 protective face coverings. These coverings have allowed soldiers and civilians on Ft. Bragg to continue working and maintain readiness. His numbers helped contribute to the 20,000 face coverings that the unit has produced since April 10, 2020.

---

Dustin Colwell

Rank: Warrant Officer 1

Branch: U.S. Army

Location: Fort Bragg, North Carolina

As the airdrop systems technician for the 647th Quarter Master Company, Colwell has lead the production and planning of Operation Dragon Mask at the production level. Through his leadership, the 647th, with assistance from other units, have produced more than 20,000 protective face coverings.

---

Russel Bale

Rank: Second Lieutenant

Branch: U.S. Army

Location: Fort Bragg, North Carolina

As the platoon leader for the pack platoon of the 647th Quarter Master Company, Bale managed the supplies necessary to facilitate the production of protective face coverings. Without his hard work and logistical knowhow, the 647th would not have had the required personal protective equipment (PPE) to both produce the protective coverings and keep the maintainers protected in their day-to-day operations.

---

Chafelmer Kroll

Rank: Specialist

Branch: U.S. Army

Location: Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Spc. Kroll serves as a public affairs specialist in the 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command and has been instrumental in telling the sustainment operations story in support of front line professionals. Her imagery has been downloaded and used by various platforms interested in the sustainment aspect of the support provided.

---

Christopher Wells

Rank: Staff Sergeant

Branch: U.S. Army

Location: Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Staff Sgt. Wells was instrumental in the implementation of the first-ever quarantine facility utilized to house paratroopers who had to go into a mandatory 14-day quarantine upon redeployment. The 82nd Airborne Division created the equivalent of a city from scratch that took care of more than 5,000 soldiers redeploying from combat.

---

Malakai Mumui

Rank: Staff Sergeant

Branch: U.S. Army

Location: Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Staff Sgt. Mumui is a medical sergeant in the XVIII ABN Corps Surgeon’s Office. He played a key role in the tracking and distribution of Operation Dragon Masks and the purchase and delivery of materials to the installation quarantine/isolation facility and FOB Patriot beginning in the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

His tracking of mask requests and distribution informed the CG of what units were requesting the masks and why as well as identifying the demand from both on and off of Ft. Bragg. His efforts in support of quarantine and isolation operations improved the quarantine experience for hundreds of soldiers and the delivery of masks is protecting soldiers and civilians across Ft. Bragg and beyond.