CONCORD, N.H. -- In the beginning of the Covid-19 response, New Hampshire’s citizens faced a time of uncertainty. During these unprecedented times, and a global pandemic, Maj. Lyndsey Fleming stepped-up in a greater capacity than anyone imagined, taking her mission by storm. Leading the force for potential mass casualty response, and guiding our state and federal partners through uncharted territory, Fleming was and continues to be a go-to resource throughout this on-going mission.
“This is a no fail mission,” said Fleming, lead of Task Force Vaccine, mimicking The Adjutant General for the NH National Guard. “We won’t let our community partners or the citizens of New Hampshire down.”
She added the New Hampshire National Guard will support the Governor and our partners ensure there are no gaps left infilled and our citizen do not suffer through this time of need.
“She was able to go into an interagency environment working with state and federal partners, local authorities, hospital leadership, and so forth, and bring everyone together,” said Brig. Gen. William Conway, director of joint staff. “In a very uncertain environment, in the midst of a pandemic, where a lot is unknown and there is a lot of grey matter, she was able to shine.”
Fleming has taken on multiple rolls throughout this pandemic response to include: alternate care site coordinator, mass casualty coordinator, and most recently the lead for the National Guard side of Task Force Vaccine.
“She has been able to bring people together who ordinarily wouldn’t,” said Conway. “I think the one thing everyone had in common when they were coming together was trusting us (the National Guard), and Lyndsey was a huge part of that.”
He continued saying she has been an asset to the NHNG team throughout this activation.
“For me, I would have to say that the most rewarding part of this mission has been working with our civilian partners and filling a necessary gap in the communities we live in,” said Maj. Lyndsey Fleming, Task Force Vaccine lead. “This is truly a team effort and it’s been amazing to witness so many come together and come to the table to help.”
Fleming added saying it has been an incredible experience.
“There’s been many “ah-ha” moments since March,” said Fleming. “I’d have to say the biggest one was walking into the initial planning meeting at SNHU and seeing familiar faces of people I’ve known for most of my career.”
Fleming added, that the validation she felt when walking into a room with friends instead of strangers, during that initial meeting, solidified why she has been a part of the NHNG family-community for nearly 19-years.
“She has been outstanding,” said Col. Erik Fessenden, commander of Joint Task Force Granite. “She has the background that is a perfect fit for the mission and she understands how the state, federal and other entities work.”
He added that she’s a very professional officer, with drive and personable skills to be successful and bring different teams together as one.
“This is what we do, we train for this, we prepare for these scenarios through exercise with our partners,” said Fleming. “We continue to increase our readiness so we are always ready and always there.”
When asked what she’d want her children to know about the role she played during the activation, Fleming stated “I feel like this implies I’m doing something extraordinary; I’m not.”
“I’m serving my community and my country the best way I know how, and that’s the oath I took,” said Fleming. “I’ve always tried my best in every job or mission to represent my family the way I was raised. The way I’m raising my children to service with integrity first, putting service before self and excellence in all I do.”