{"id":37874,"date":"2021-08-23T16:31:32","date_gmt":"2021-08-23T16:31:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/08\/23\/red-wristbands-for-unvaccinated-troops-now-part-of-jrtcs-covid-mitigation\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:15:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:15:29","slug":"red-wristbands-for-unvaccinated-troops-now-part-of-jrtcs-covid-mitigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2021\/08\/23\/red-wristbands-for-unvaccinated-troops-now-part-of-jrtcs-covid-mitigation\/","title":{"rendered":"Red wristbands for unvaccinated troops now part of JRTC\u2019s COVID mitigation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Troops involved in the 54th Security Force Assistance Brigade\u2019s current training rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana, have a new uniform item \u2014 a red or green wristband denoting their COVID-19 vaccination status<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Army officials described the wristbands as an effort to expedite in-field contact tracing of positive COVID-19 cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring rotation 21-09 the Soldiers of 54th SFAB, supporting units and Observer Coach Trainers, as well as anyone supporting the rotation, will wear wristbands denoting COVID vaccination status,\u201d said JRTC spokesperson Shelby Waryas in a statement emailed to Army Times. \u201cThis is to assist the OCTs to be more precise in measuring risk in contact tracing and therefore keep more people in the training scenario.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photos of troops wearing the wristbands \u2014 including Security Force Assistance Command<\/a> head Maj. Gen. Scott Jackson<\/a> \u2014 have started appearing on JRTC social media channels as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Army Maj. Gen. Scott Jackson, commanding general of the Security Force Assistance Command, observing 54th Security Force Assistance Brigade training at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana, on August 20, 2021. (Army\/Facebook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese protective postures enable us to maintain training and Army readiness, all while making sure the training formation, Soldiers and Families of Fort Polk stay safe,\u201d said Brig. Gen. David Doyle, commander of JRTC and Fort Polk, in a statement emailed to Army Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COVID-19 outbreaks at JRTC can stop training if they get too serious, Waryas said. That is why Doyle opted to require the wristbands. She described the order as \u201cdirectly related to tactical safety.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But a soldier assigned to JRTC, who spoke with Army Times on condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation, said the wristbands aren\u2019t helping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe only thing that is happening with these armbands is that we\u2019re being threatened with punitive actions if we lose our paper bands,\u201d the soldier said. \u201cWe\u2019ve lost many due to the fact that we are conducting platoon training from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same soldier expressed concern that leaders who aren\u2019t vaccinated \u201care being scrutinized\u201d by their superiors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An 82nd Airborne Division brigade ignited controversy in February when an anonymous letter circulated on social media accused leadership of not taking the pandemic seriously<\/a> during their JRTC rotation. And an Arkansas Army National Guard brigade experienced a significant outbreak that sickened at least 115 troops, according to Military.com<\/a>, requiring at least nine quarantine barracks to house infected or exposed soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\t