Posted on 10/01/2014 9:51:40 AM PDT by Iron Munro
The commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division and 700 of his troops will head to Liberia in late October as the military steps up its response to the Ebola crisis in West Africa, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.
The "Screaming Eagle" troops from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, will set up a headquarters in Monrovia, the Liberian capital, and will be joined by 700 combat engineers from several commands, the Pentagon said.
Once the troops have arrived, Army Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, commander of the 101st, will replace Maj. Gen. Darryl Williams, as commander of the U.S. military response to the Ebola epidemic that has hit hardest in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Williams will return to his post as commander of U.S. Army Africa, the Pentagon said.
Aid groups and officials in West Africa have complained about what they called the slow pace of the U.S. and the international community's response to the epidemic. Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, took particular issue with published reports calling the military's efforts thus far "slow-footed."
(Excerpt) Read more at military.com ...
Has Obama considered that this is a fight that Ebola just might win?
Great. Now some of the soldiers will bring back souvenir virus.
Anyone have a suggestion on respirators?
Apparently the virus can be infectious via touch, respiration? and possibly via surfaces. Just imagine what could happen if an Ebola infected person visits the hospital, pharmacy, supermarket etc, sheds the virus onto surfaces and infects others?
Are the carriers going to bring Liberians back on the return trip home to pick up more soldiers?
I hope our men are heavily armed and ready to protect themselves if and when mobs of crazed Africans attack. Ebola effects the brain, people do go crazy. And of course, there's huge resentment against Americans. And newspapers in Africa are running articles saying that America is causing Ebola so we can sell drugs.
But knowing the Obola administrations policies, I'm sure our men will be ordered to stand down and let themselves be slaughtered by crazies.
WTF is wrong with this man!!!???
Every time I think Obama has dragged us to the bottom and we can't go any lower he proves me wrong.
I just cannot understand what mental process would lead to a decision like this.
This something the UN's World Health Organization exists for and is equipped to deal with, not our crack troops trained and equipped for combat.
He is probably praying to Allah to make it happen.
On another thread, someone reported that a “planeload” of CDC personnel arrived in Dallas yesterday. If any FReepers are in the travel business, it would be interesting to know if the CDC has been buying more airline tickets from Atlanta to Dallas, and reserving rental cars and hotel rooms in Texas.
As a former civil service employee, I know that many federal travelers make the reservations on their own. But for something this big, the central travel office at CDC or even GSA would take over, to move large numbers of personnel to Dallas as quickly as possible, and ensure they have a place to stay and transportation when they arrive.
Color me both ignorant AND insensitive but why? What is the purpose of this exercise aside from killing off troops?
You forgot about those who rotate back home and kissed their kids and had a night of welcome back with their sweeties.
Yes.
And how are they supposed to “fight” ebola?
Shoot the virus?
Are these Ebolans the same guys that Dilbert’s company farms out defective work to? And does anybody know what the service/battle ribbon is for catching ebola? I’m guessing it’s a band aid bar with a barf bucket hanging under it. And will the Grand Kenyan insist on hanging the award around the necks of the recipients in the Green Room?
So far they say that corpses are still infectious so if any of our guys die from this creeping crud will they still be allowed military funerals/burial? But these guys can’t be corpses-—they’re Army.
Will they be armed and issued ammo? Once word hits the Liberian “street” that the American Army has arrived with “treatment for Ebola”, desperate families will be mobbing the gate (if there IS a gate) begging for their loved ones who are infected.
Whether via an international “incident” or our troops becoming infected, this will NOT end well.
Let the missionaries & NGOs handle the patients. Provide them with the logistics and the SPECIFIC personnel they request.
Obama is either a complete idiot sending the 101st or else he is completely evil. This will strongly work to destroy morale in the 101st, the entire military and the nation. It also will infect with Ebola Americans who are serving their country.
If a Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine is wounded or killed in combat, his friends & loved ones are grieved and possibly emotionally wounded, but not placed in physical danger themselves. With Ebola, any family member, friend or casual acquaintance who comes in contact with a serviceman infected with Ebola is in mortal danger.
Ping
Too late. Already happened in Texas.
The list, Ping
Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list
I'm not sure that 'man' is the proper noun. There are, according to the social websites, around 67 other options.
Are they going to subject to the same idiotic rules of engagement that they endured in Iraq and Afganistan?
Short answer: none. Ditto for Air Force personnel from Langley AFB, VA who are also enroute to the hot zone.
I began my career as a military medic over 30 years ago; I was trained to the EMT Level 1 before getting a chance to work for the wing commander and eventually going to Officer Training School. As a medic, I never had any type of training for dealing with something as deadly as ebola, and our doctors and nurses were equally unprepared.
There are military organizations (USAMID) that are trained/equipped for this type of mission. But “line” engineer, logistics and security personnel are not trained for this type of mission. And the idea you can keep them away from people who’ve been exposed to the virus is ludicrous.
Here’s an interesting blog post from last week; comments are from current/former military commanders and senior NCOs—the folks who are tasked to carry out something like the Ebola mission. To a person, they said the troops are not trained, equipped or prepared for the job they’ve been given:
http://formerspook.blogspot.com/2014/09/wrong-mission-wrong-place-wrong-time.html
He loves Texas when he comes to Houston and raises millions from the River Oaks neighborhood. GHW Bush lives there but not sure he donates. And it’s sad that I’d even think that he might.
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