Look up! Fighter jets to fly over Beaufort County to salute healthcare workers Monday

Healthcare workers at hospitals in Beaufort and Jasper counties will receive an unconventional salute Monday morning to their work on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

F-16 fighter jets from the S.C. Air National Guard plan to fly over area hospitals Monday morning to recognize the efforts of doctors, nurses, first responders and others during COVID-19. The six aircraft from the 169th Fighter Wing based in Columbia will split into groups on their way back from a training mission to visit hospitals throughout the state.

The jets will fly at about 1,000 feet and try to pass over the entrance to each facility. Here are the times for Beaufort and Jasper county facilities:

• 11:15-11:30: Coastal Carolina Hospital, Hardeeville
• 11:25-11:40: Beaufort Memorial Hospital; Beaufort; Encompass Health, Bluffton; Naval Hospital Beaufort; Port Royal; Hilton Head Hospital; Hilton Head Island

This story was originally published April 27, 2020 at 9:11 AM.

Stephen Fastenau

The Island Packet

706-631-6079

Stephen Fastenau covers Beaufort, Port Royal and the Sea Islands for The Beaufort Gazette and The Island Packet. He has worked for the newspapers since 2010 in various roles as a reporter and assistant editor. His work has been recognized with awards from the S.C. Press Association, including first place for public service as part of a large team reporting on environmental contamination in a Beaufort military community. Fastenau previously wrote for the Columbia County News-Times and Augusta Chronicle. He studied journalism and political science at the University of South Carolina in Columbia and lives in Beaufort. Support my work with a digital subscription