NEWBURGH, N.Y. – At a hangar at Stewart Air National Guard Base, Soldiers assigned to the New York Army National Guard’s 1569th Medium Transportation Company are tracking, processing and distributing medical supplies across the Hudson Valley.
“Right now we have over 3,000 temporary beds, 200 ventilators, 10 million masks, and over 4 million gloves,” said Army Sgt. 1st Class Javier Rodriguez, the noncommissioned officer in charge of logistics. “We’re a distribution warehouse and we’re out sending a lot of personal protection equipment to nurses, hospitals and anyone in need.”
Essential supplies are sorted at the air base, then shipped to facilities across Westchester County and New York City.
The operation, in a hangar originally built to house massive C-5A Galaxy transports, is one of six warehouse operations that New York Army National Guard Soldiers are operating across New York.
Other warehouse operations are in Oriskany, Guilderland, Harriman, and Colonie. New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are distributing medical supplies like IV pumps, hand sanitizer, personal protective equipment, and ventilators to locations across New York.
More than 33,000 gallons of hand sanitizer have been distributed in the Hudson Valley, for example, while New York National Guard Soldiers moved 100 ventilators flown into Stewart Air National Guard Base by the California Air National Guard to New York City.
The New York National Guard has over 3,500 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen, along with members of the New York Guard, the state defense force, and the New York Naval Militia, on missions connected with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of those, 390 are working warehousing missions and 225 are transporting supplies.
It’s not exciting work, but it is important, said Staff Sgt. Stephanie Kimball.
“I feel proud that we can do something in a time of need,” Kimball said. “We want to make sure that all our health care professionals have the personal protection equipment needed to do their jobs and keep themselves safe.”