{"id":77889,"date":"2020-03-23T18:27:40","date_gmt":"2020-03-23T18:27:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/03\/23\/soldiers-fears-grow-as-commanders-train-through-coronavirus-outbreak\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:52:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:52:58","slug":"soldiers-fears-grow-as-commanders-train-through-coronavirus-outbreak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/home\/left-column\/2020\/03\/23\/soldiers-fears-grow-as-commanders-train-through-coronavirus-outbreak\/","title":{"rendered":"Soldiers\u2019 fears grow as commanders train through coronavirus outbreak"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Pentagon has assured the public that it\u2019s doing all it can to stem the coronavirus outbreak<\/a>, but soldiers across the force say that guidance from experts has equated to only half-measures at their levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than a dozen soldiers at installations across the United States and overseas told Army Times they\u2019re frustrated with commanders still sending troops to the field, forcing soldiers to come to work to do mundane tasks that aren\u2019t mission essential, and failing to test potentially sick individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Army physician assigned to a maneuver unit said the guidance handed down has been too reactive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLimited duty days and restricted PT are half-measures and you\u2019re going to get half-assed results,” the physician said. \u201cThat may have been great for last week, but this week, the cat\u2019s out of the bag.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coronavirus appears to spread easily, the Center for Disease Control warns<\/a>. There is strong evidence that it can be transmitted by people who aren\u2019t yet showing symptoms or who are only mildly ill, according<\/a> to the New England Journal of Medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 1st Armored Division\u2019s 3rd Armored Brigade at Fort Bliss, Texas, announced Sunday night that it will end its planned training and begin exiting the field due to coronavirus. But troops who\u2019ve been training out there could\u2019ve already been exposed to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are plenty of people out in the field that are sick and are being quarantined,\u201d said a soldier from the unit before the announcement. \u201cPeople are constantly coming and going to and from the field, raising the risk of someone coming into contact with the coronavirus and spreading it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A New York-based Army reservist training at Fort Bliss tested positive for coronavirus Friday. \u201cOne of my medics took care of him,\u201d the soldier Army Times spoke with added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two other reservists from the same unit later tested positive for coronavirus and are now in isolation, Fort Bliss officials said Sunday. The remainder of the Army reserve unit was placed into quarantine to prevent further spread of the virus, officials added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Army headquarters responded to the allegations in this article by stating that their commanders at every level are balancing force protection measures with maintaining readiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen one of our personnel shows symptoms of the virus or tests positive, we follow appropriate medical protocols to ensure they are provided the care they need,\u201d an Army headquarters spokesperson said. \u201cOnce we identify someone who\u2019s positive, then we conduct contact tracing to scope exposure and notify impacted individuals.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All 50 states have reported coronavirus cases, but one of the states worst hit thus far has been Washington. That made soldiers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, an hour south of Seattle, wonder why they were still planning to run field training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn terms of PT and daily battle rhythm, absolutely nothing has changed,\u201d said a soldier assigned to 2nd Infantry Division on the joint base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His unit will conduct expert infantry and soldier badge preparation this week, he said Saturday, meaning they\u2019ll be alternating between different training lanes, sometimes in large groups, touching a lot of the same equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is all taking place at a base which is in the epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S.,\u201d the soldier said. \u201cWe have over 100 cases in the two counties that surround JBLM and where a majority of families live, and over a thousand cases throughout the rest of Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Task
Members of the Florida National Guard run practice testing lanes in preparation for the response to the COVID-19 virus, March 18, 2020. (Sgt. Leia Tascarini\/Army)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another soldier assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord is finishing up a trip supporting other units at the National Training Center on Fort Irwin, California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is not much health awareness out here,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re still crammed inside tents with hundreds of people sleeping within 2-3 feet of each other. … Using latrines with no hand soaps in them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soldiers are also crowding into lines at laundromats and dining facilities, he said. When they head home, they\u2019ll ride in busses filled with 50 or more soldiers each, sitting should-to-shoulder for hours, he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur unit expects us to head to Yakima Training Center, two days after coming back from National Training Center to do more training,\u201d the soldier added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testing capacity at Army bases, like elsewhere in the United States, is strained by demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have a soldier who was exhibiting all symptoms, and they diagnosed him with pneumonia,\u201d a sergeant at Fort Carson said. \u201cHe was put on 72-hour quarters. When the testing center came back open, he went to get tested but they wouldn\u2019t because he didn\u2019t have all the symptoms at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A soldier at Fort Riley, Kansas, said he went to the clinic with flu-like symptoms after traveling through five airports, including Los Angeles International, over a recent two-week timespan. He was told a test wasn\u2019t necessary for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI asked again about getting tested earlier this week per command guidance and they still refuse to test anyone that hasn\u2019t traveled to a hotspot,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A medic at Fort Drum said there\u2019s a gulf in guidance between what division leaders are saying will be done and what company and battalion commanders end up doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of our sister battalions were at the range yesterday and they had 65 soldiers in a warming room with one guy there coughing a lot,\u201d the medic said on Saturday. “The soldier coughing also vomited in the room in front of other soldiers in close proximity so the PA decided to place everyone on quarters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
This photo provided by the U.S. Army shows large tents The 82nd Airborne Division has established to provide accommodations for up to 600 soldiers, shown March 17, 2020 at Fort Bragg, N.C. In one of Bragg’s remote training areas, large tents have popped up over the last few days to house hundreds of 82nd Airborne Division troops that are returning to the base from Afghanistan and other Middle East deployments. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Zach VanDyke via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An Army watercraft operator delivering equipment between the Hawaiian islands said he raised the issue of continuing operations multiple times. The cramped work environment for the roughly 30 people on board his boat, as well as shipping constantly between the Big Island and Oahu, could help spread of coronavirus, he worried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have expressed my concern to my chain of command who has my back but once it goes to the [battalion] level it\u2019s just brushed aside,\u201d he said. \u201cThese are just training exercises. We\u2019re not providing humanitarian aid.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the spouses of a soldier on his crew has already been placed on a mandatory 14-day quarantine, he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many soldiers said the move to minimal staffing during the pandemic hasn\u2019t completely occurred. A Fort Carson soldier said his unit has continued to group together in confined spaces to inventory equipment for a company-level change of command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA few shops are staying open, some that support the whole post and others that … don\u2019t,\u201d the soldier said. \u201cIt\u2019s cold over here so we do layouts indoors in enclosed spaces that clearly violate the social distancing recommendation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Kaiserslautern, Germany, an Army officer said their unit is still working full days. There has been \u201ca lot of preaching about social distancing,\u201d and even telework, \u201cbut none is happening,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTwo of my soldiers had direct contact with someone [whose] spouse tested positive and [it\u2019s] business as usual,\u201d the officer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That soldier pointed to a nearby unit in Baumholder, Germany, that\u2019s doing things the right way, they said. In an email, the commander of the 16th Special Troops Battalion there clamped down on unnecessary in-office work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll of you have internet and the ability to conduct meetings from home,\u201d the email reads. \u201cIf you … specifically need to come into the office, please call and we can discuss.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Christopher Norrie, commander, 7th Army Training Command, welcomes Soldiers assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division to Germany for exercise DEFENDER-Europe 20 at the Nuremberg Airport, Germany, March 5, 2020. These Soldiers are the first to arrive to the Germany for the exercise. Exercise DEFENDER-Europe 20 is the deployment of a division-size combat-credible force from the United States to Europe, the drawing of equipment and the movement of personnel and equipment across the theater to various training areas. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Ellen C. Brabo, 7th Army Training Command)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another soldier assigned to a different unit in Baumholder has experienced more reactive measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said effective policies didn\u2019t start getting enacted until March 9, which was more than a week after the first confirmed case in the surrounding state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and more than a month after the first case in Germany on Jan. 27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe should have been proactive long before that,\u201d he said, \u201cwhen it was apparent how it could ravage a country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testing is limited, he added. There\u2019s a screening site at the Army hospital in Landstuhl, but few elsewhere, according to the soldier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy wife and I have been to the clinic twice with symptoms, but they\u2019re only testing those who have fevers due to limited tests,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Baumholder soldier, who works in the motor pool, said that PT has moved to the squad-level to avoid assembling in large groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Work shifts were also split up to lessen the number of people gathered, but there\u2019s still an hour in which the entire company is in the same area without proper social distancing. There are also no sanitization stations at any of the entrances or exits to the motor pool or offices. The bathroom is the only place to wash your hands, according to the soldier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A post-it note on one office says that no more than four people can enter at a time, but it\u2019s not enforced. The CDC is advising people to maintain six feet of distance between people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are constantly being told by our garrison commander to only maintain [three feet] distance,” the soldier said. \u201cWe all saw how quick things went downhill in Italy, but are refusing to enact the policies that could halt it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A soldier with the 82nd Field Artillery Regiment at Fort Hood said orders were put out Thursday morning telling soldiers to conduct PT at the individual level and not to have formations. The orders also said soldiers should only work from 9 a.m. to noon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe only thing our \u2018leadership\u2019 followed is we didn\u2019t conduct PT or have mass formations,\u201d he said. \u201cThey have continued to have soldiers show up in mass to clean barracks at 0500 until 1600.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Soldiers stationed on U.S. Army Garrison Casey conduct pre-screening processes on individuals awaiting entry to the base, USAG-Casey, Dongducheon, Republic of Korea, Feb. 26, 2020. Additional screening measures of a verbal questionnaire and temperature check are in response to the heighted awareness of Coronavirus (COVID-19) following a surge in cases throughout the Republic of Korea and are meant to help control the spread of COVID-19 and to protect the force. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Amber I. Smith)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A senior Army aviation warrant officer said his unit is preparing for the possibility of being called upon to airlift coronavirus patients to local hospitals. The unit hasn\u2019t received the masks, disinfectant and medical guidelines he said will be necessary in that role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In lieu of masks, aircrews were told to simply limit the amount of talking near any patients and open the windows or take off the doors in flight, the aviator said; there\u2019s also no plan handed down to quarantine aircrews if they\u2019re repeatedly transporting coronavirus patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aviator said that mid-level leaders are \u201cparalyzed with indecision,” despite the Army\u2019s recent focus on encouraging mission command doctrine<\/a> and independent thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo few leaders are willing to make informed common sense decisions to limit the risk to soldiers,\u201d the senior aviator said. \u201cThey stall, hoping that a higher command will make the decision for them.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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