NORTH CAROLINA -- Thursday afternoon, nurses, doctors, and hospital staff stepped outside for a moment and looked up.

Flying above them, honoring their hard work during the pandemic, was the North Carolina Air National Guard.

The Guard didn't fly over just one hospital, they hit several in our state including Hickory, Statesville, Winston-Salem, Raleigh, Wilmington, and Charlotte.

They also flew over food banks to honor those feeding neighbors.

Master Sgt. Nathan Clark said they deserve it.

"When we go out and about you see us in uniform, we get thanked for our service all the time, so it's nice to finally thank someone else for their service,” Clark says.