Soldiers from Fort Eustis and Fort Story are scheduled to join airmen from Langley Air Force Base as part of the military response to the Ebola outbreak in western Africa.
The Army deployment from Hampton Roads is part of a much larger Army effort announced last week. More than 1,800 soldiers from Fort Campbell, Ky., are headed to western Africa, as well as 500 soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas, according to the Pentagon.
Fort Eustis is sending soldiers from transportation-related units, according to information provided by the base. Personnel will be pulled from the headquarters of the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), the 53rd Transportation Battalion, the 11th Transportation Battalion and the 597th Transportation Brigade.
The 7th Transportation Brigade is considered to be one of the most-deployed units in the Army. It includes the 53rd and 11th battalions, the latter stationed at Fort Story.
At present, the exact missions of individual units are still being developed, said Sgt. 1st Class Vin Stevens, a spokesman for the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, N.C.
A medical team from Langley Air Force Base has already deployed to assist in curbing the outbreak.
Airmen from the 633rd Medical Group are not directly treating Ebola victims. Instead, they are assigned to set up a modular facility to treat aid workers who might have Ebola. Treatment will be provided by international health workers.
The Langley group will also train international health-care workers before leaving the region, according to an Air Force news release. They worked with U.S. Public Health Service to prepare for the move.
The modular facility is known as the Expeditionary Medical Support System. It can treat a population of up to 6,500.
The U.S. military could deploy up to 4,000 troops to the region, the bulk of them from the Army, the Pentagon has said. Most of the Army units will begin deploying later this month. http://www.dailypress.com/news/military/dp-nws-ebola-langley-eustis-20141006,0,5324647.story
