courtesy of U.S. Air National Guard / Senior Airman Audrey Chappell
Lt. Col Travis Hawks (left), 139th Medical Group task force commander, passes authority of the alternate care site over to Lt. Col. James Miller (right), 131st Medical Group task force commander, Missouri Air National Guard, at Florissant, Missouri, May 7, 2020. The 139th Medical Group passed over command to the 131st Medical Group after managing the ACS for a month. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Audrey Chappell)
To pay for his nursing degree, Jim Miller first enlisted in the National Guard in 1989. Three decades later, he’s still on the front lines. This spring, that was a converted hotel in Florissant housing COVID-19 patients. When the Air National Guard activated him, Miller went from working as a nurse practitioner at Christian Hospital to using those same skills at the alternate care site.
Miller’s typical duties with the National Guard include ensuring the health of his fellow Guard members so they’re always ready to serve. On his most recent assignment, Miller brought the same commitment to helping the civilians in his care.
“One of the great things that I find from serving in the military is that almost everyone that I’ve come across who has joined, they really want to do something to make the country or their organization better and help people lead better lives,” Miller says. “This opportunity to come in here and fill a gap and a need, to help us relieve the hospitals of their burden, it’s been a big honor for us.”
