By Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Luke McCall
JAPAN – Master Chief Petty Officer Matt Horn, a Navy Reservist currently assigned to Commander, Naval Forces Japan (CNFJ), from Birmingham, Ala., is part of a group of Sailors that arrived at Yokosuka, Japan, on March 24, 2020. Horn, along with other member of his command, were put on a 14-day Restriction of Movement Order (ROM).
As with much of the rest of the world, Japan enacted a stay-at-home order not long after Horn and his shipmates arrived. This resulted in much of the country going into lock down, which closed off access to businesses, schools, and most areas where people congregate. As a consequence, Horn, along with the rest of his unit, learned to live life in isolation for those 14 days
Horn’s biggest challenge adapting to quarantine was dealing with the new experience having a restrictive element added to his initial orders, “COVID-19 support is unlike any set of orders any one of us have ever been on, in terms of quarantine periods added on to both the front and back ends of the operational period,” said Horn. “Most of us are used to mobilization orders involving dedicated upfront periods for readiness and training. Having a restrictive period added on simply to ensure basic health is a new experience.”
Horn added, “The hardest part of being quarantined is not being able to have regular interaction with people. Just being able to go on a walk for fresh air is missed. You don’t realize how much you take for granted in terms of being able to grab coffee or select your own groceries until going through a Restriction of Movement period.”
To pass his time he established a daily routine. He developed a personal schedule for physical training and preparation for the mission. He found the time as an incredible opportunity to catch up on often neglected career items such as updating periodic awards and completion of Professional Military Education courses.
As well as working on the mission and his career, he found the time to check on loved ones back home. “Other than the time difference, contact with family and friends back home was been easier than expected,” said Horn. “Since everyone back home is also having to conduct social distancing and so many schools and offices have gone virtual, people worldwide are at home more than ever. One surprising side effect of the ROM period is that I have actually been able to reconnect with distant family since I had this dedicated period of time.”
Despite the ROM, Horn is resolute in his desire to meet the challenge that have been a result of this global crisis, “I wanted to help to meet the urgent demand signal raised by Naval Forces Japan. Getting mission essential orders lined up involved a lot of additional classification and screening requirements approved by Commander, Navy Reserve Forces Command, given the current environment. The additional overhead implemented to get orders in place demonstrated the critical need for reserve support. Maintaining regional relationships is one of the cornerstones of the CNFJ mission. I wanted to be part of the opportunity to help.”
| Date Taken: | 06.09.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 06.09.2020 14:14 |
| Story ID: | 371764 |
| Location: | BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 62 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Quarantined on Orders: Birmingham Navy Reservist faced COVID-19 Setback, by CDR Nicolas Melendez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
