3.5 Ideas from Lt. Colonel Jodi Pritchard (USAF) — Medivac Flight Nurse

Lt. Colonel Jodi Pritchard (USAF)

“I take care of people in helicopters for a living. I’m the best part of your worst day.” — Lt. Colonel Jodi Pritchard (USAF)

Lt. Col. Jodi Pritchard is a military flight nurse with over 26 years of service in the Air Force.

Featured in James Patterson’s #1 New York Times bestseller “Walk in My Combat Boots,” Lt. Col Pritchard has served multiple deployments supporting Operation Enduring Freedom as part of critical medical evacuation teams.

Currently serving as a nurse practitioner and educator for an aeromedical company, Pritchard continues her dedication to both military service and medical care.

3.5 Ideas from Lt. Colonel Jodi Pritchard:

1) The Military is the Ultimate Team

• “The biggest team there is, is the United States military.”
• “I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself… that camaraderie, that team, that cohesion is what sparked me.”

2) Be the Best Part of Someone’s Worst Day

• “I take care of people in helicopters for a living. I’m the best part of your worst day.”
• “You could only do that with a clear head… it started on that deployment in those situations. It’s molded me to become who I am, to become resilient.”

3) Breaking the Mental Health Stigma

• “Whether they say all the stigma is gone… No, it’s not for those that still wear wings as I still currently do. We will hide stuff because at the end of the day, we don’t want to lose something we fought so hard for.”
• “At the end of the day, we have to take a look in the mirror and ask — is it worth those wings on our chest to lose our mind, to lose our family, to lose who we are?”

3.5) What’s the ONE LESSON Everyone Should Take Away?

• “Always remain humble… we all will have problems. Even though you think that your problem is the worst, there’s people out there that have worse problems than you.”
• “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do anything… do exactly what you need to do. But know there’s other people that could be suffering worse than you and do your best to help them.”

Connect with Lt. Colonel Jodi Pritchard:

• Book: “Walk in My Combat Boots” by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann
• Facebook: Lt. Colonel Jodi Pritchard
• IG: flygirl_medic21
• NY Post Article

“Life Is Built, Not Born.”

Joe Ciccarone

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