Photo By Chuck Cannon | 115th Field Hospital Soldiers march into a welcome-home ceremony at Fort Polk’s...... read more read more
FORT POLK, La. — The Families of 16 Soldiers assigned to Fort Polk’s 115th Field Hospital are especially happy this Thanksgiving as their Warriors returned home to a heroes’ welcome early Nov. 21.
David S. Doyle, commander, Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, Command Sgt. Maj. David Henry, JRTC and Fort Polk command sergeant major, fellow Soldiers and Family members braved a 4:45 a.m. ceremony at Fort Polk’s Warrior Gym to get their first glimpse of their loved ones in nine months.
The 16 Warrior Medics were part of East Regional Command’s Task Force Medical — KFOR-27 — in Kosovo.
Maj. Caitlin Ebbets, 115th FH, said her team provided medical support for U.S. Soldiers in the Kosovo mission, part of the United Nations’ charter to maintain peace while Serbia and Kosovo worked out a peace accord.
“It became a COVID-19 response mission,” said Ebbets, who served as the unit’s commander. “Our Soldiers figured out how to manage a COVID response and put out preventive measures and responses to both U.S. and Kosovo forces.”
Doyle was the keynote speaker at the ceremony and thanked the returning Soldiers for their dedication and service.
“I have three things to say to this group of outstanding Warriors assembled here: Thank you, thank you and thank you,” Doyle said. “Thank you for the example you set for the United States Army by being ready to deploy, by going forward to do a difficult mission in a time of pandemic.”
Doyle also thanked the Warrior Medics for providing expertise and medical equipment, English speaking skills and a variety of other things that were necessary for the Kosovo community.
“Finally, thank you for what you are going to do as you rejoin the Fort Polk and JRTC Family here,” he said.
“Thank you for what you’re going to do as you continue to serve the United States Army and thank you for everything you represent as you stand in formation this morning.”
Lt. Col. Jason K. Marquart, commander, 115th Field Hospital, said his Soldiers are “an amazing crew.”
“They went to a mission that has been established for a long time, and these Soldiers went down range as the medical unit for that task force and had to adapt to COVID on the fly,” he said.
“They had to establish COVID protocol at the operational level, and they did an amazing job while providing Role-1 care for the whole theater.”
Role-1 medical support is that which is integral or allocated to a small unit and will include the capabilities for providing first aid, immediate lifesaving measures and triage.
“Major Ebbets and her team were successful, providing basic care and developing a COVID response,” Marquart said. “I’m very proud of them and the sacrifices they made. They adapted and achieved great things.”
| Date Taken: | 11.25.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 11.25.2020 13:11 |
| Story ID: | 383824 |
| Location: | FORT POLK, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 43 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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