Maryland National Guard Supports COVID-19 Test Site

May 26, 2020 | BY Army Maj. Kurt Rauschenberg , Maryland National Guard

Soldiers from the Maryland Army National Guard's 115th Military Police Battalion are supporting the first state-sponsored, community-based COVID-19 testing site at the Carroll County Agriculture Center in Westminster, Maryland.

Under normal circumstances, the center would be gearing up for spring and summer community events such as farmer's markets, tractor pulls and fairs. This year, however, the Carroll County Agriculture Center will be supporting the community with a different type of service: COVID-19 testing.

As the day came to open the large bay doors to community members in need of COVID-19 testing May 14, medical providers, health planners and volunteers were joined by soldiers from the Maryland Army National Guard to get things moving.

When the Maryland National Guard was activated in mid-March, the 115th Military Police Battalion began supporting the state's first testing site at FedEx Field in Landover and at other subsequent sites. More than 300 soldiers, eager to help their fellow Marylanders, supported these missions.

"We've supported the majority of screening and testing sites throughout the state, which in many ways is the main effort at this stage in the fight [against COVID-19]," said Army Lt. Col. Rob Wille, the commander of the 115th Military Police Battalion.

Wille said lessons learned at FedEx Field allowed for more effective and efficient testing throughout the state, including the one  in Carroll County. Many of the tasks these soldiers perform at the testing sites are inherent to their military police functions, he noted.

"The National Guard is often seen as a reassuring presence, because we're called on in times of real need or crisis," Wille said. "In most cases, our soldiers are of the local communities in which they serve. They know the people and the areas."

In Westminster, the Carroll County Health Department and Board of Commissioners recognized the need to bring these resources to the community, but it took additional partnerships to make it happen. Within the local health department are volunteers from Maryland Responds Medical Reserve Corps, a community-based, civilian, volunteer program; the county Department of Public Safety; Emergency Management; Public Works; and the sheriff's office.

"Our partners appreciate us safely managing the vehicle and pedestrian flow in and out of the sites," Wille said. "The Maryland National Guard providing this support allows local resources to focus on all other routine operations, this all helps increase public safety."

County Commissioner Board President Stephen Wantz, visited the testing site on its first operational day to personally thank all the partners.

"Having the guard on board is a tremendous help with the operation of this new community testing site," Wantz said. "They are providing an invaluable service to our residents and the region."

Joining Wantz was Carroll County Health Officer Ed Singer, who is no stranger to the Maryland National Guard.

Singer said the support from the guard is extremely helpful, because the Health Department staff is stretched so thin with COVID-19 testing teams, contact tracing, surge planning, personal protective equipment management and more.

Singer served in the Maryland National Guard from 1987 to 2002, and reflected on serving alongside some family members of the soldiers at the testing site and others in the guard still serving at the forefront of the crisis.

"The National Guard sure is a small world," Singer said.

Fort Drum Uses Wartime Expertise in Fight Against COVID-19

May 26, 2020 | BY Warren Wright

Soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division's 10th Sustainment Brigade are using their wartime skills and equipment to support health care professionals at Fort Drum, New York, in the fight against COVID-19.

The brigade's 543rd Composite Supply Company, 548th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, have constructed a field shower and laundry facilities outside the Bowe Troop Medical Clinic, which is serving as Fort Drum Medical Activity's COVID-19 treatment facility.

Before leaving work for the day, health care providers use the shower facilities and leave their day's laundry before heading home.

"They are providing reassurance for us that when we finish up a day of seeing highly contagious patients, we can go out and not take it home to our families," Army Capt. Isaac Mills, the officer in charge of the COVID-19 treatment facility, said. "This is not only reassurance for us, but more so allowing our families to let us back into the house. My wife was very happy about the fact I was able to come home effectively safe."

Set up just outside the Bowe clinic, the soldiers constructed a tent with 12 shower stalls, and are using a laundry advanced system, or LADS, trailer that contains two large washer and dryer drums. The LADS can clean and sanitize sizable amounts of clothes with water hot enough to kill bacteria and other microorganisms.

Before showering, providers from Bowe secure their used laundry in special netted bags, which are then collected at the end of the day. Soldiers then wash and fold the clothes, ensuring they're ready for the Bowe team the next day.

"I'm glad to have the opportunity to help prevent the spread of COVID-19," Army Pfc. Trevarious Mathis, a shower and laundry specialist with the 543rd Composite Supply Company, said. "We try to help as much as we can by supporting [the Bowe clinic] through this hardship we face as a country."

Before and during the use of the showers, the soldiers continually monitor and maintain the specialized field pumping and water regulation equipment to ensure the Bowe staff has steady access to hot running water.

"We really appreciate their support," Mills added. "They were immediately willing to help. There was no question. When we needed them, they showed up, and we've been happy to have them here."

The shower and laundry facilities will remain at the Bowe clinic for the foreseeable future to support the MEDDAC providers' continued care for COVID-19 patients.

(Warren Wright is assigned to Fort Drum.)

President Honors Fallen Service Members at Memorial Day Observances

May 25, 2020 | BY Terri Moon Cronk , DOD News

President Donald J. Trump came to ''the noble fortress'' of Fort McHenry in Baltimore to pay tribute on Memorial Day to those who fought and died to keep Americans free.

Fort McHenry was the site of the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812, when American patriots stood their ground and repelled a British invasion, the president noted. ''Now we come together to salute the flag, … and we pledge to [their] cherished memories that this majestic flag will proudly fly forever.''

In 1814, Francis Scott Key, was held captive aboard a British ship in Baltimore Harbor, and through the din of battle, he could make out the American flag's 15 broad stripes and 15 bright stars, barraged and battled, but still there, Trump said. The Americans prevailed, and from his inspiration of watching his flag fly, Key wrote a poem that became ''The Star Spangled Banner,'' the U.S. national anthem.

''Every time we hear it, we think of our warriors on distant battlefields who keep us safe at home,'' the president said. ''We remember the young Americans who never got the chance to grow old, whose legacies will outlive us all.

''In every generation, these intrepid souls kissed goodbye their families and loved ones,'' he continued. ''They took flight in planes, took sail in ships and marched into battle with our flag, fighting for our country, defending our people,'' he said.

From the Philippine Sea to Fallujah, Iraq; from New Orleans to Normandy; from Saratoga to Saipan; from the Battle of Baltimore to the Battle of the Bulge, Americans gave their lives to carry the flag through piercing winds, blazing fires, sweltering deserts and storms of bullets and shrapnel, the president said. ''They climbed atop enemy tanks, jumped out of burning airplanes, and leapt on live grenades,'' he added. ''Their love was boundless, their devotion was without limit, [and] their courage was beyond measure,'' he added.

Trump told Gold Star families that the nation's debt to them is infinite and everlasting. ''We stand with you today and all days to come, remembering and grieving for America's greatest heroes,,'' he said, adding that in spirit and strength, loyalty and love, in character and courage, they were larger than life itself.

''Today, we honor the heroes we have lost,'' Trump said. ''We pray for the loved ones they left behind,'' Trump said.

Earlier in the day, the president, Vice President Mike Pence and Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper joined together for the annual laying of the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. This year's Memorial Day events were more subdued than normal, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The American people will vanquish the virus, and the nation will rise from this crisis to new, and even greater heights, Trump said.

''As our brave warriors have shown us from the nation's earliest days, in America we are the captains of our own fate,'' he said. ''No obstacle, challenge or threat is a match for the sheer determination of the American people.''