When the Tennessee National Guard needed volunteers to help Tennessee’s Department of Health fight the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of Soldiers and Airmen volunteered. One Soldier that immediately answered the call was Sgt. Jessie James, a motor transport operator with Tullahoma’s 1175th Transportation Company. A Manchester native, James was not going to miss the opportunity to serve.
“I have always wanted to give back to the community,” said James. “When this opportunity to help with the response to the COVID-19 pandemic came up, I knew I needed to volunteer. Times like these are why I joined the National Guard.”
With the encouragement of his employer, James began working with the COVID-19 task force in February 2021. He praised his employer, Saia LTL Freight, based in La Vergne, for their support of his volunteering for the COVID-19 mission.
Since May, James has been serving as the acting noncommissioned officer in charge of the COVID-19 testing and vaccination site at the Cannon County Health Department and Community Health Center in Woodbury.
Photo: Sgt. Jessie James, a motor transport operator with Tullahoma’s 1175th Transportation Company, checks the temperature of COVID-19 vaccines at the Woodbury testing and vaccination site. James has supported the Tennessee National Guard’s vaccination efforts since February 2021. (Photo by Sgt. Finis L. Dailey, III)
