Blair: Serving her country through patient care
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Autumn Blair may be following in her family’s call to military service, but she is carving her own path as a dedicated flight medic.
Blair, a flight medic with Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 112th Aviation Regiment, North Dakota Army National Guard, is currently mobilized to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Her unit provides emergency point of injury care and rapid medical evacuation across the installation and its training areas.
With 12 years of service, Blair began her career as a truck driver with Alpha Company, 231st Brigade Support Battalion.
“I initially enlisted as a combat medic, but because I was in college at the time, I switched to a specialty I could complete during the summer between classes. I became a truck driver, and it worked out really nicely,” Blair said. “It was one of those situations where they asked, ‘Where do you want to go? What do you want to do?’ I said what I wanted, and they made it happen.”
When the 231st BSB was later deactivated, Blair decided to pursue a medical career path more aligned with her interests.
“I’ve always been interested in healthcare. I worked as a certified nursing assistant and growing up I was always drawn to medicine. I knew I wanted to be a flight nurse or work in flight medicine.” Blair also continues a deep family tradition of military service.
Her father, retired Command Sgt. Maj. Orville Wang, retired from the 164th Regional Training Institute at Camp Grafton Training Center in Devils Lake, North Dakota. Her mother, retired Sgt. 1st Class Audrey Wang, served as an administration specialist at CGTC and retired from the North Dakota National Guard. Her grandfather, retired Command Sgt. Maj. Peter Wang, also finished his military career at Camp Grafton.
“Service feels generational for me at this point. It felt like gaining an additional family. It feels like home, and it was an easy decision.”
Blair’s medical career doesn’t stop when she takes the uniform off. She is also a registered nurse with a Bachelor of Science in nursing and works full time for Life Link III in Minnesota as a flight nurse for her civilian career.
“It’s the exact same as my full-time job,” she said. “I go to the hangar, check equipment, train, study, and prepare for patients. This mobilization is just like being placed in a different environment.”
She enjoys working with new people and expanding her skills through unique training opportunities.
“I think it’s the diversity of the work,” Blair said. “I do this in North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and South Dakota, but coming down here and adding the military piece to it is fun. We work with different providers and see different techniques. Being a part of that medicine is awesome.”
While mobilized, Blair has been working with the 82nd Airborne Division, gaining exposure to new practices, challenges, and learning opportunities.
“The farther I go in my career, the more I realize you’re never done learning. Just when start to think you’re an expert, you learn something new or you attend more training or speak to another medical professional who makes you better. You don't know everything. This is a very humbling business to be in and a great opportunity.”
She also credits her civilian employer for their support during her mobilization.
“There are three of us here from my civilian employer, two pilots and myself, and the company has been great. They have a lot of veterans and service members, and they’ve been extremely supportive. They check in on us and say, ‘See you when you get back. Thanks for what you do!’”
Blair encourages others who may be interested in flight medicine to reach out and learn more.
“If people are interested in Delta Company or being a flight medic, they can reach out. There are definitely 68 Whiskeys [combat medics] or people who like medicine and want to go into medicine who would be a great fit. If they’re curious, they should seek us out.”
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