Sadly, on 30 May 2019, at the age of 35, we had to say goodbye to Heather Nichole Springer. Heather was born on 14 September 1983, in Lincoln NE. She was an avid outdoors woman who loved animals and enjoyed spending time with her friends. She was graduated from Lincoln High School in 2002 and enrolled in the University of Nebraska Medical Center Nursing Program to pursue a career in taking care of others. She enlisted in the Nebraska National Guard and completed basic training and AIT, becoming a 68W. She was assigned as a flight medic in Charlie Company, 2/135 MEDEVAC when her education was interrupted as she was mobilized for deployment to Iraq in 2006 – 2007, in support of the troop surge.
During this time she was repeatedly exposed to enemy fire and dangerous situations. Most notably of which was the mission that earned her a Bronze Star and ultimately, the 2007 DUSTOFF Flight Medic of the Year. During that mission she moved under fire to provide triage and care to Soldiers on the ground who could not be moved to the aircraft due to enemy fire. After the enemy was suppressed, she guided the patients to the aircraft with the help of the ground unit and continued lifesaving care during the flight. After her deployment, she re-entered school and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from UNMC. She was then redeployed back to Iraq in 2009 with Charlie Company again performing MEDEVAC missions in Iraq.
Heather applied the “Mission First” mentality towards everything she did. She tirelessly worked with Soldiers around her and often accepted difficult assignments in order to show that she was leadership material. She was promoted to Sergeant and had a firm understanding of the NCO Creed and what it means to be an NCO in today’s military. Heather will be greatly missed.