Photo By Tech. Sgt. Andrew Enriquez | Pvt. 1st Class Braxton Campbell (left), an Internment/Resettlement Specialist (31E)...... read more read more
Washington, D.C.—D.C. Army National Guard Pvt. 1st Class Braxton Campbell received an unexpected visitor while manning his post outside the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in downtown D.C. 12 May 2020. Brig. Gen. Robert K. Ryan, D.C. Joint Task Force Commander, dropped by following his tour of the new COVID-19 Alternate Care Site (ACS) established at the convention center, which is being secured and supported by DCNG airmen and soldiers. Ryan made a special stop to see Campbell in order to present him with a challenge coin in recognition of his resilience after testing positive for COVID-19, recovering and returning to duty in support of ongoing COVID-19 response in the District.
“Campbell was our first casualty,” Ryan said, “And a real example of a success story.”
Campbell, an Internment/Resettlement Specialist (31E) with the 276th Military Police Company, DCNG, was on orders when he started experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. After a hospital chest x-ray showed negative for fluid build-up, he was told that he was asymptomatic. Feeling that something was not right, Campbell consulted his leadership, who referred him to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for further testing. A few days later, Walter Reed called to tell him he had tested positive for COVID-19.
“It was just a really scary thing to deal with,” Campbell says. “I didn’t how to act or what to do. I thought I wasn’t going to live any longer.”
Despite the initial stress of his diagnosis, Campbell says there is hope for people who contract COVID-19:
“You can get through this. Stay calm, think positive—ask for help. I had a great amount of support. I had friends who would Facetime me, and I wouldn’t go to sleep until, like, 4 o’clock in the morning.”
“He maintained a positive attitude throughout his entire stay at the Alternative Care Facility,” said Air National Guard Chief Master Sgt. Naconda Hinton, senior enlisted advisor to Brig. Gen. Ryan, who had been personally tracking his recovery. “He was in good spirits. His perseverance and resilience and ability to bounce back through all this is what you would want to see from a service member.”
“It feels like a miracle,” to be back on duty, Campbell says, “I made it, that’s all. It’s a blessing.”
| Date Taken: | 05.12.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 05.22.2020 12:58 |
| Story ID: | 369875 |
| Location: | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 87 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, DCNG Soldier Continues Supporting COVID-19 Response After Recovering From Virus, by TSgt Andrew Enriquez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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