She was so proud of becoming a flight nurse; it was a dream come-true for her. She saw a program on TV with the role of a flight nurse, "Something deep inside of me went off, it was like I knew I had to be one; I had to become a flight nurse," she stated. "Her devotion to the flight program was outstanding," stated EagleMed member Hinson.<br />
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Jennifer Dawn Hauptman, 22, of Coldwater, Kansas, lost her life in the line of duty on February 17, 2004 when the twin-engine medical transport plane crashed and burned. The crew of three had made a medical transport to Wichita, and were en route back to their home base when the plane went down about 10 miles west of Dodge City. There were no survivors.<br />
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Mrs. Hauptman was a registered nurse for Comanche County Hospital and a flight nurse for EagleMed. She had previously worked for Meade District Hospital in Meade, Kansas and Douglas County Memorial Hospital in Armour, South Dakota.<br />
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"Jennifer was a civic-minded person, who had plans to extend a helping hand into her community once she finished with her own education agenda. She loved sports, and reminded me of the Snoopy character 'Joe Cool'. She would lounge on a lawn chair in front of the watch house like nothing in the world could ever bother her," stated Joe McLoughlin, EagleMed team member.<br />
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The EagleMed team filed into the memorial service in pairs, wearing their flight jumpsuits of maroon and navy, each wore a black armband in honor of their lost. Each wore a somber look, a witness that they had lost part of their family and it would be a long while before they were complete again.<br />
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Honored 2005 |