MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU, Romania – All over the world, people are following the impact of the novel coronavirus while discussions continue as to how to manage the global pandemic. For its part, the U.S. Army is doing what it can to perform its mission while also containing the spread of the disease. More than 180 Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment arrived from Fort Hood, Texas, Nov. 2. This was the largest single group to come to the base, which lies just off the Black Sea, since the outbreak of COVID-19.
“All of these people have to quarantine. We had to make sure we had the space available, the equipment and the medical supplies for us to even support this. Then there was testing, screening and even just making the living arrangements for these Soldiers for the next two weeks was complicated,” said Staff Sgt. Breanna Gray, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Mihail Kogalniceanu Joint Aid Station in Romania.
Details regarding logistics included allocating space for everything from sleeping and hygiene to meal distribution and physical fitness training. However, according to the medical team, it was very important to get the job done right.
“We wanted to make sure that these people were away from the rest of the base population and still have suitable living conditions,” Gary said.
After arriving, the Soldiers lined up to go through medical screening and COVID testing. While waiting, the Soldiers were kept separate from other members of the base population and donned protective masks. Once testing was completed they were provided meals and transported to their living areas. All of this required an area to be closed off that was about the size of one city block, according to joint station managers.
“COVID has its own distinct challenges. Here, it is a small base with a small population so everybody's safety is important. We are here today to make sure the people coming in, as well as the rest of the base, are safe,” said Col. Jeffrey A. Wade, director, Health Services, Mihail Kogalniceanu and Novo Selo Training Area, Bulgaria. “Health force protection is our primary responsibility. It is our goal to limit or mitigate any COVID exposures while we are here. We want to protect the forces so they can do their missions.”
Ultimately, the swift arrival and assured safety of such a large group speaks volumes about the continuity of the mission in Romania, leadership said. The same plane that brought the Texas-based Soldiers to Romania was also used to transport another large group back home at the end of their tour. Within hours of getting their boots on ground, the medical process was completed so that quarantine could begin and these Soldiers could move a step closer to working with their European allies.
“We want to make sure that these Soldiers are good to go and can come over and participate with NATO forces and be able to train, and are able to accomplish the mission they came here to do. While doing that, we want to make sure our NATO forces, Department of the Army civilians, and local nationals are not put at risk as these troops are coming in. We want to keep the population safe,” Gray said .
| Date Taken: | 11.03.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 11.06.2020 14:09 |
| Story ID: | 382480 |
| Location: | MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU, RO |
| Hometown: | FORT CAVAZOS, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 13 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Health Force Protection a Priority, by SGT H. Marcus McGill, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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