Shortly before noon Saturday, the A-10s of the 122nd Fighter Wing roared past Franciscan Health Indianapolis.
The elite flying group of the Indiana Air National Guard was traveling over hospitals all over the state as part of a flyover honoring health care workers during the COVID-19 crisis.
For Dr. James Callaghan, the flyover was a moving gesture of appreciation for Franciscan Health staff members working tirelessly during the pandemic. He was also struck by the unique intersection of his past and his present.
Callaghan, president and CEO for Franciscan Health Central Indiana, is a U.S. Air Force veteran who formerly served as flight surgeon for the Thunderbirds, the air demonstration team known as "America’s Ambassadors in Blue."
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His time in the Air Force helped teach him best safety practices and the importance of selflessness, skills that he’s employed during his career in medicine, hospital administration and ultimately throughout this pandemic.
"In the military, you’re generally around a lot of service-oriented people, selfless people. That resonated with me when I got to Franciscan. We have a lot of service-oriented people who are really selfless, and we see that now, with the pandemic. We have people who are working consecutive shifts, consecutive days," he said.
The flyover was planned by the 122nd Fighter Wing as a way to salute Indiana’s frontline COVID-19 responders. The 122nd Fighter Wing started in Terre Haute, then the flyover roared over Franklin, around Indianapolis, then up to Anderson, Muncie and Marion.
In addition to honoring health care workers and others keeping our communities safe and healthy during the pandemic, the flyovers were also designed to lift public morale.
The announcement of the flyover has generated much excitement at Franciscan Health Indianapolis, Callaghan said.
"We’ve had a lot of outpouring of support from the community, from letters and cards and motorcades. So this is another way to get that recognition, and I think health care workers appreciate that in a stressful time," he said.
Callaghan himself took particular interest, considering his past. He joined the Air Force following medical school, combining two of his passions with a family legacy.
"I had had an interest in medicine, of course, but also had an interest in aviation. My late father had been a fighter pilot, so certainly I had been exposed to the field. That aviation-medicine-flight surgeon position seemed like a good way to combine an interest in medicine with how the human body and human psyche do in the demanding environment of flight," he said.
As a flight surgeon, Callaghan was charged with determining how the rigors of flight — intense altitude and powerful g-forces — impacted the body. He also focused on public health, working to ensure that as military members were stationed around the world, they were prepared with best practices and preventative medicine for potential diseases they might encounter.
After serving for a few years, a flight surgeon position opened with the Thunderbirds. The Air Force’s official air demonstration team was founded in 1953, and traveled the world to showcase the military’s aviation prowess.
For Callaghan, the opportunity to be part of that elite unit helped shape his career in medicine and administration.
"Aviation is said to be the world’s safest industry. There’s a lot we can learn in all industries from them, including health care. That was really something that stuck with me, and gave me an interest of health care administration," he said.
He was with the Thunderbirds for two years and finished his stint in the Air Force. He and his family eventually returned to Indiana, and he sought a career in medicine using those practices he learned in the Air Force.
With the announcement of Operation American Resolve, he again thought about the parallels between those pilots and his own staff.
"To me, the flyover is really interesting, because you have a group of pilots and their support crew, who are highly trained professionals, who are oriented toward service, doing a flyover to recognize another professional group dedicated to service … " Callaghan said. "The flyovers are appreciated. It’s a interesting intersection of healthcare and aviation."
