Courtesy Photo | Army Reserve Capt. Tracy Earl in Harlingen, Texas on August 19, 2020. A physician...... read more read more
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Since March, more than 1,000 skilled Army Reserve medical Soldiers have been mobilized to provide Department of Defense support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, coordinated by U.S. Army North.
The Citizen-Soldiers have assembled in Urban Augmentation Medical Task Forces, specifically designed for this time of crisis.
Each 85-person UAMTF consisting of doctors, nurses, combat medics, respiratory therapists, and ancillary personnel that expand the capacity of care that civilian medial facilities can offer their community
Capt. Tracy Earl, a physician assistant from Indian Land, South Carolina, has answered the call.
He is a member of UAMTF-7458, assigned to assist Valley Baptist Hospital in Harlingen, Texas since late July.
“Working in these areas has been rewarding, helping others and trying to bring some degree of relief,” he shared. “I am proud to be a part of something that has not been done before.”
In total, U.S. Northern Command has assigned approximately 590 military medical and support personnel from the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Texas.
“This is the first time where medical personnel are the front line,” said Earl. “We are making history.”
Earl made his own mark in history when he agreed to serve on a second federal COVID response mission. He previously served with a UAMTF that mobilized to the Javits Center in New York City in April.
“I am proud to serve on both UAMTFs, we are setting the standards of future medical relief missions,” he said.
Born and raised in Las Vegas, Earl started his military career by enlisting as a Navy hospital corpsman. He completed eight years of active service and an additional year in the Navy Reserve.
He went on to earn a Bachelors of Science in physician assistant studies from Touro College in New York. After a seventeen-year break in service, Earl found his way back to the military in 2018.
“I joined the Army Reserve because I felt the need to help others, to expand on my experiences, and to finish my military career that I had started so many years ago,” he shared.
In his civilian capacity, Earl is employed at Concentra Urgent Care in Charlotte, North Carolina.
A husband and father of two, Earl manages the stress of the mission and his time away from home by keeping in touch with his family through video chats, reading and movies.
“My family and community are proud of the work I am doing, and I like to remind my brothers and sisters in this fight to be proud,” said Earl. “The communities that we are serving appreciate the sacrifices we make.”
| Date Taken: | 08.28.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 08.28.2020 15:30 |
| Story ID: | 377041 |
| Location: | HARLINGEN, TX, US |
| Hometown: | CHARLOTTE, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 203 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, South Carolina Army Reserve physician assistant supports federal COVID response missions, by COL Meritt Phillips and SFC Kenneth Scott, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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