Fort Carson Announces Battalion Being Deployed To Help With Ebola Fight
Posted: Fri 11:47 AM, Oct 03, 2014
By: KKTV
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One hundred and sixty Army engineers are headed to Liberia to provide support in the battle against Ebola.
The soldiers, who are from the 615th Engineer Company, 52nd Engineer Battalion out of Fort Carson, will be helping to build medical facilities, not treating patients.
A full release by Fort Carson is below:
Approximately 160 engineers assigned to the 615th Engineer Company, 52nd Engineer Battalion, will deploy to Africa in support of Operation United Assistance, the U.S. military's response to the Ebola crisis.
The military response is being led by U.S. Africa Command in support of the U.S. Agency for International Development. This is a joint operation with participating units from other branches of the military services, to include the Marines, Navy, and Air Force.
"JTF Carson (Joint Task Force Carson) is part of a multi-agency response to the Ebola crisis in Africa," said Maj. Gen. Paul J. LaCamera, 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson commanding general.
Engineer Soldiers from Fort Carson will help construct facilities to support the USAID effort to contain the spread of the Ebola virus in Africa and will not be treating patients. The engineers will be part of a Total Army effort that includes units from the Active Army, Army Reserve and Army National Guard.
All troops deploying to Liberia will receive specific medical training, developed in conjunction with U.S. Army Public Health Command , and utilize specialized personal protection equipment to ensure they are protected from exposure to Ebola.
"We will do everything required to take care of our Soldiers and their families," said LaCamera. "Our priority is to ensure our Soldiers receive the necessary training and equipment to answer our nation's call and accomplish this mission."