Staff Sgt. April Cooper, an aeromedical evacuation technician at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, had just returned from Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, after providing support for Hurricane Harvey. Knowing Hurricane Maria was about to make landfall, she left her bags right by her front door. She was still on bravo alert and knew when Maria hit, AE support would be needed quickly.
This second mission lasted three weeks at MacDill AFB, Florida, compared to her five day mission at Little Rock AFB. Her time in Arkansas helped prepare her for the mission of multiple flights to St. Croix.