7/13/2011 CAMP DARBY, Italy- Spc. Shane Hoopingarner was heading to Oklahoma on emergency leave when an hour into his transatlantic flight a voice came over the planes intercom system asking if a doctor was onboard.  When no one stepped forward, Hoopingarner, a six year Army Veteran, went to see if he could assist.

An older lady had passed out in the aisle while walking towards the restroom. Hoopingarner immediately assessed the situation and ensured her head was laid flat and her airway not impeded.  He told the stewardess to get an oxygen tank and the first aid kit with a blood pressure monitor and then with the help of a volunteer translator- asked which medicines the lady was taking.

“She had taken two pills for nausea in quick succession along with anti-diarrhea medicine,” said Hoopingarner. “The side effects made her light headed and dizzy along with being dehydrated.”

Hoopingarner manually took her blood pressure and vitals, which he said he learned to do during Sergeants Training time at Camp Darby. Other passengers and the stewardess asked him how he knew what to do because he looked so young.

“Because of my job as a Pharmacy technician at the U.S. Army Health Clinic Livorno, I Know a lot of drug interactions and my training at Camp Darby made it easier to be able to react quickly and focus on the situation at hand,” said Hoopingarner.

For the remainder of the 10 hour flight, Hoopingarner monitored the patient and ensured she rehydrated until they landed.  The stewardess gave him a 5,000 mile Delta voucher and thanked him for helping. Hoopingarner was modest about the whole event saying “it wasn’t a big deal- I was just doing what the Army trained me to do.”