As the 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, sets to redeploy back to Fort Riley, Kansas, medical and logistical Soldiers begin to work their final days at the Community Vaccination Center (CVC) at the Fair Park Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, May 18, 2021.
1st Infantry Division (1ID) and U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) officers deployed to Dallas in early February 2021 in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its national COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Sharice Jones, a medical-surgical nurse assigned to Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, in San Antonio, Texas, said that she was grateful for the opportunity to deploy with 1ID and vaccinate Americans.
"Being able to work alongside FEMA and 1ID is a once in a lifetime opportunity," said Jones. "As a nurse, I don't get the chance to work with different agencies and other Soldiers in this capacity, so I'm excited that I was able to spend the past few months with them."
Jones, who played a firsthand role in vaccinating local Dallas community members, said that she was happy to see the response from the community about receiving the vaccine.
“It’s a heartwarming and beautiful thing,” she said. “Having thousands of people come to get vaccinated daily and continuously thank us for what it is that we’re doing makes the entire mission worthwhile.”
Since the CVCs opening in February of 2021, FEMA and U.S. Army Soldiers have worked together to administer approximately 450,000 COVID-19 vaccinations to the Dallas community.
“None of this would be possible without the local community being on board,” said Jones. “Their willingness to do their part and come to receive the vaccination allowed us to become one of the most efficient vaccination centers in the country. I hope that people continue to receive the vaccination so that we can get back to being the nation we all know and love.”
U.S. Army Pfc. Kyle Preston, an M1 armor crewmember assigned to 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, shared the same sentiments as Jones about engaging with the local Dallas community.
"Seeing how excited and grateful most people are to get vaccinated is amazing," said Preston. "Some people want pictures with us, and some even cry when they thank us because us being here means just that much to them."
Preston, who usually works in a mechanical setting or a field training environment, said that being a part of the vaccination mission is something he'll never forget.
“Being a tanker, this isn’t something that I would normally get to do,” said Preston. “So years down the line when I can say I served my country proudly and helped combat COVID-19, the weight those words will carry will always mean something to me.”
As 1ID prepares to return to Fort Riley to continue regular training, Preston said that he's proud of what his battalion has accomplished in Dallas in just a few short months.
"My unit came to Dallas, established the standard, and then continued to exceed it," said Preston. "Having days where we would give out over 10,000 vaccines shows what we can do when working towards a common goal. I'm proud of everybody here, and what we've done, like I know they're all proud, everyone back home is proud, and most importantly, like I know the nation is proud."
U.S. Northern Command, through U.S. Army North, remains committed to providing continued, flexible Department of Defense support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency as part of the whole-of-government response to COVID-19.
| Date Taken: | 05.14.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.17.2021 14:18 |
| Story ID: | 396511 |
| Location: | DALLAS, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 442 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 1-63 AR Set to Redeploy to Fort Riley, by SSG Alvin Conley, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
