St. Agnes Hospital nurse and department head Emily Hoepfner spent a day training with the Wisconsin National Guard 128th Air Refueling Wing as part of Boss Lift.
Hoepfner oversees several patient care departments at SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital including wound care services which employs Jessica Yogerst Sullivan, a nurse practitioner.
Sullivan has served in the United States Air Force for more than 31 years. She was recently selected for the position of commander for the 115th Medical Group and promoted to colonel. As the medical group commander, she is responsible for the organization, training, and equipping of 90 active-guard and traditional guard medical professionals.
The purpose of Boss Lift is to show appreciation for civilian employers of Wisconsin National Guard members, while helping educate those employers about the service, sacrifice, and professionalism of their service member employees.
“This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Hoepfner said. “I value Jessica and all or our SSM Health team members that serve our country. The ESGR provided an informative and exciting day that reinforced the importance of supporting our team members that belong to our reserve forces.”
Hoepfner participated in a safety and mission briefing before embarking to conduct an in-flight refueling of a U.S. military aircraft. She learned about the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s role in national defense and why employer support is critical to the success of reserve forces.
Traditional drill-status Guard members who work full time for civilian employers are asked or required multiple times to immediately step away from their civilian jobs and careers to support their communities with little notice and unknown durations. In addition to domestic mobilizations, hundreds of Guardsmen were deployed overseas last year.
The National Guard soldiers and airmen in can nominate their employer or supervisor to participate in one of the Boss Lift events or for an annual awards program.
“While leaving my home and loved ones for months on end is hard enough, it is reassuring to both myself and my family knowing that I have the support of SSM Health and my job waiting for me when I come back from deployments and annual trainings,” Sullivan said.
Civilian employer support is important for the well-being of the soldier or airmen they employ and for Wisconsin’s emergency readiness and the country’s military readiness.
