Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Jonathan Pietrantoni | U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 466th Area Support Medical Company, 53rd Troop...... read more read more
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Fifty-five New York Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 466th Medical Company, Area Support said a virtual goodbye to friends and family via a Facebook Live stream during their deployment ceremony outside of the Queensbury Armory on Aug. 1, 2020.
The 466th Soldiers are headed to Fort Hood, Texas to complete the final leg of their pre-mobilization training before leaving to conduct an emergency and primary care mission to Soldiers deployed in the Middle East.
While deployment ceremonies typically have a landscape filled with stoic Soldiers in formations, cell phones held out, cameras flashing, children running around, and faces with a wide range of emotions, this one was noticeably different.
This time there were only Soldiers in attendance and one cell phone held out to stream the event. This was just one measure of the ongoing safety precautions the unit took to ensure proper social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The MCAS has adjusted most of their training plans to keep Soldiers safe and ensure they would be prepared to deploy and support the 11-month overseas mission.
Brig. Gen. Jack James, the assistant adjutant general of the State of New York and commander of the 53rd Troop Command, saw the unit training a few weeks ago and praised them during his remarks for implementing new safety protocols and continuing to complete the mission-essential training.
“I’ve seen your training and it’s excellent,” said James. “Continue to execute your MOS [military occupational specialty], complete your mission and be ready for anything.”
COVID-19 added complexity to nearly every aspect of the year-long, job-related medical and fundamental Soldier training that the company has to complete prior to deploying.
During pre-deployment training, Soldiers wore masks and were divided into groups of ten people who did not interact with others.
They moved and trained together to minimize exposure to COVID-19 and comply with social distancing recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
All Soldiers were given daily temperature screenings and twice-a-day checks for COVID-19 symptoms.
Maj. Jason Cossey, the commander of the 466th, spoke to his unit about the normal challenges of deploying a unit and how the unit relied on each other to ensure they were ready.
“It takes a village to get a unit out the door in a normal situation,” said Cossey. “COVID has made our training and mobilization unlike any other.”
Cossey advised the unit to embody that unprecedented level of resilience and excellence they’ve already shown as they continue to train and eventually deploy overseas.
He noted that by continuing to work together they can accomplish his two goals for this deployment: bringing everyone back home safely and providing world-class healthcare to Soldiers overseas.
James, Cossey and all the senior leadership who spoke to the deploying unit shared a common theme: individual and team strength is imperative to overcoming challenges and completing the mission.
Maj. Gen. Ray Shields, the Adjutant General of the State of New York and commander of the NY Army National Guard, reinforced this theme by reminding the Soldiers that everyone in a uniform is a person as well as a Soldier.
Remembering the person behind the uniform was a message from Shields. He reiterated that Soldiers have a responsibility to check on each other’s mental and physical well being, and that was the key to a strong unit and successful mission.
“You must look out for yourselves, and you must look out for your fellow Soldiers,” Shields said.
The 466th deployed to Iraq in 2006-2007 in a similar mission. During that time, they operated an Army field hospital and three troop medical facilities.
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| Date Taken: | 08.01.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 08.03.2020 11:52 |
| Story ID: | 375146 |
| Location: | QUEENSBURY, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 86 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NY National Guard medical Soldiers hold virtual deployment ceremony for overseas emergency care mission, by SSG Michael Davis, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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