LUBBOCK, Texas — Pilots from the 149th Fighter Wing — also known as the “Gunfighters” — of the Texas Air National Guard, flew above Lubbock hospitals to honor healthcare workers, healthcare providers and caregivers on Monday.
The four F-16 fighter jets traveled east over Covenant Children’s Hospital and Covenant Medical Center before heading north to University Medical Center and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center campus.
Lubbock nephrologist, Colonel Larry Warmoth, who has served at both Covenant and UMC helped organize the flyover.
“It makes you really proud to be able to salute the people in Lubbock that take care of us and see the people that turned out because they thought it was important too,” he said.
Dr. Warmoth was part of the Gunfighters squadron 14 years and has been in the military for 29 years. He will retire from the Texas Air National Guard in December.
Jennifer Nañez, a nurse at Southern Specialty Rehabilitation and Nursing, said she’s been a nurse for 11 years and that she appreciated seeing the jets fly by.
“It’s just a great feeling to see that,” she said, “to know that we’ve got support from all over,”she said.
Nañez said the sacrifices that she and other healthcare workers make is something that they don’t regret.
“We took an oath as well when we graduated to always protect our residents the best way we can,” she said. “Right now this is a situation we are in, and I’m honored to do it.”
Dr. Warmoth said he wanted to make sure those in the medical community felt appreciated.
“The biggest thing I wanted to do is tell the medical community in Lubbock how much we appreciate them, what they’ve done [and] the sacrifices they’ve made, ” he said.
