What was supposed to be a routine flight from Virginia Beach to Los Angeles, turned into a not-so ordinary flight for a 95-year-old World War II veteran.

Lt. Christopher Ferguson, Underwater Constructions Team surgeon at Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, was traveling to UCT 2 in Port Hueneme, California, to perform diving medical officer related assignments. While waiting for his connecting flight from Baltimore International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport, Ferguson, who is responsible for training independent duty corpsman to support underwater construction teams, learned that his routine flight would include some very special guests.

"While waiting at the gate for my flight I learned that my flight was an Honor Flight," said Ferguson, who added that 20 World War II veterans were traveling from Washington to Los Angeles and were flying on his connection flight out of Baltimore.

According to Honor Flight's website, the Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization created solely to honor America's veterans for all their sacrifices. The Network transports our heroes to Washington to visit and reflect at their memorials.

"As the World War II veterans were wheeled up to the gate for transport through the terminal, every one of all ages were standing up and applauding them, myself included," said Ferguson, who is from Scottsdale, Arizona.

Ferguson was fortunate enough to sit beside one of the veterans, which gave the World War II veteran and Ferguson a chance to share stories. About three hours into the flight, one of the 20 veterans was experiencing chest pain.

"The cabin crew asked if there were any physicians on board that could assist," recalled Ferguson, who added the group was traveling with a designated nurse.

Another physician was on board the flight, an Air Force captain assigned to Naval Medical Center Portsmouth.

"I took the lead to assist the veteran, who fortunately had already taken his sublingual nitroglycerin tablets and was receiving oxygen," said Ferguson.

While no lifesaving measures were performed on the flight, it was comforting to all to not have one, but two physicians and a nurse on board who could render medical assistance, added Ferguson.

Even though this was Ferguson's seventh time rendering medical aid on a flight, he said he was humbled by the experience and thankful he was in the right place at the right time.

"I consider myself lucky that I have only had to deal with one on my own without any other form of medical support," said Ferguson. "It is always good to have someone else with medical knowledge to bounce ideas off of."

When not rendering medical assistance on flights, Ferguson performs a key role in overseeing the training of independent duty corpsmen assigned to UCT 1, located at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story and UCT 2.

NECC is an enduring warfighting force providing sea-to-shore and inland operating environment capabilities across the full range of military operations that is focused on delivering combat effective expeditionary forces ready for worldwide operations now and into the future.

For more news from Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, visit http://www.navy.mil/.