Photo By Sgt. Jonathan Perdelwitz | A family who serves in the Iowa National Guard pose for a photo. Capt. John Fansega,...... read more read more
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John Fansega, Mikenzy Fansega and Noah Anderson, a father and two siblings from Laurens, Iowa, have the unique opportunity to serve their community as a family. All three are in the Iowa National Guard. John Fansega is a psychiatric nurse; Mikenzy Fansega and Noah Anderson are studying to become nurses as well.
“Serving with my family is interesting because it’s something we have in common,” said Spc. Mikenzy Fansega, a fire control specialist with the 1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery.
Her father, Capt. John Fansega, the assistant effects coordinator for the 1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery, has served in the Iowa National Guard since 1996 and has been on three deployments in that time. He also serves as a nurse on the civilian side. His children grew up seeing their father serve his country and community. Both Mikenzy and Noah decided to follow in their father’s footsteps in both the military and nursing.
“It’s something we relate on and can talk about,” said Spc. Noah Anderson, a combat medic specialist with the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment.
Unlike his sister and father, Noah serves as a medical professional both in the National Guard and in his civilian life.
“Being a medic has helped me a lot in nursing school,” said Noah. “I had a lot of knowledge prior to everything.”
Like so many others, this family has been forced to adjust their day to day lives because of COVID-19. Due to their chosen careers on the frontline, this family has to keep working through the pandemic. Both Noah and Mikenzy are just finishing up their first year of nursing school. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the two to switch to online classes to finish up their respective semesters.
“My older sister is a CNA at a nursing home here in Laurens,” said Noah about Mikenzy. “She’s been going to work and dealing with the precautions.”
This time has certainly been challenging for many people, but families like this have risen to the occasion and continue to serve their community and country in a multitude of ways. John Fansega, Mikenzy Fansega and Noah Anderson are great examples of selfless service both in their military careers and in their civilian lives.
“Being a nurse, you’re there for people on their most vulnerable days,” said Noah. “Being able to help in any way I can is pretty great.”
| Date Taken: | 05.06.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 05.06.2020 17:12 |
| Story ID: | 369359 |
| Location: | LAURENS, IA, US |
| Hometown: | LAURENS, IA, US |
| Web Views: | 463 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Family serves together in health care, Iowa Guard, by SGT Jonathan Perdelwitz, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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