Photo By Sgt. Simone Lara | U.S. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austin III, awards a coin to U.S. Air Force Airman...... read more read more
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The mission to vaccinate 6,000 Californians a day is no easy task. The U.S. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austin III, observed this immediately upon his visit to the community vaccination center at Cal State University Los Angeles on Feb. 24, 2021.
“What the military brings to this equation is discipline, organizational skills and effectiveness,” said Austin.
The visit to the site is one of Austin's first official visits since being sworn into office on Jan. 25. The visit began with a meeting with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, military officers, and representatives from California Office of Emergency Services, Federal Emergency Management Agency and Cal State LA.
Austin then received a tour of the walk-up site which allows community members to utilize the nearby metro, ride-share or drop-off to receive vaccine services. Cal Guardsmen serve the location by confirming appointments and organizing visitors into lanes before receiving the vaccine from active-duty Army medical personnel.
The tour concluded with Austin observing the drive-thru lanes where community members can stay in their cars from check-in to receiving the vaccine. Cal Guardsmen are located throughout the lanes confirming appointments, providing traffic control and organizing thousands of vehicles per day into lanes according to their needs, such as language services.
Throughout the tour, Austin, who is a retired four-star Army general, met several service members contributing to the site’s mission. In a press conference following the tour, he shared his emotional reaction to meeting so many dedicated Soldiers and Airmen.
“I asked a number of our troops today how they feel about being able to come here and help in America, ” said Austin. “They feel really good about what they’ve been doing and the people that they've been helping feel really good about having them here as well.”
Several Cal Guardsmen received coins from Austin in recognition of their hard work contributing to the site’s effectiveness. The Cal Guard members include: U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Samantha Campos, an aircraft mechanic with the 163rd Attack Wing, U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Yaima Montes de Oca, a public health technician with the 163rd Medical Group, and U.S. Army Sgt. Hannah Fors, a CBRN specialist with the 40th Infantry Division.
Currently, there are over 230 California National Guard Soldiers and Airmen providing support to the Cal State LA community vaccination center.
| Date Taken: | 02.25.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 02.25.2021 21:28 |
| Story ID: | 389963 |
| Location: | LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 118 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, U.S. Secretary of Defense reaffirms vaccine mission at Cal State LA, by SGT Simone Lara, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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