Staff Sergeant Daniel Hotter hasn’t seen his family since March 13.
When New York’s first drive-through COVID-19 testing site opened in New Rochelle, Staff Sgt. Hotter – a 2012 graduate of Columbia-Greene Community College’s Fine Arts program –and his team were sent there to process and swab patients.
“I’ve been away from home because of the high-risk nature of working in the ‘Hot Zone,’’ Hotter explained, “and I appreciate all the love and support from my family, friends, co-workers, and military supervisors, including my former professors and friends from C-GCC.”
Activated to support Operation COVID-19 — as the leader of a five-member medic detachment from the 105th Air Wing, Stewart Air National Guard Base, Newburgh, N.Y. — the Hudson resident and his crew were then sent to Staten Island. “We were the first medical personnel to set-up and run the new testing site there,” he recalled.
“Our site has averaged 400 to1,000 testing samples per day,” said Hotter, explaining that the Staten Island medic team has since grown to include Army Medics, Navy Corpsman, Airmen from the 109th Air Wing, civilian nurse contractors, NYS DEC Environmental Conservation Officers and Forest Rangers, State Fire, State Emergency Management, NYS Dept of Health, and NYS Troopers.
“I am proud to have worked with so many dedicated and hardworking individuals and to have served the hundreds of visitors seeking COVID-19 testing.”
Since graduating from C-GCC, Hotter — who is currently Staff Sgt., NYANG, 105 MDG and Sgt., Taconic Zone, New York State Park Police — has served on numerous humanitarian and medical deployments, including the Hurricane Sandy response.
For more information, visit SUNYcgcc.edu.
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