April 7, 2020

U.S. Military Steps In to Protect Us At Home

At this time in our Nation’s history, we are in uncharted waters.  Never before have we experienced such a global pandemic, with the effects being felt acutely across the country, in every state.  

The Compatible Lands Foundation is a nationwide nonprofit land trust that works extensively with the U.S. Department of Defense to protect and preserve open space near military installations, in order to support mission-readiness and capability.  And right now, the mission for many of our Service Members is at home.

We are grateful to the men and women serving in our military who are working tirelessly to assist federal, state, and local governments—and within our communities—to protect us against the Covid-19 pandemic.

We offer our deepest thanks and at this time want to highlight some of the ways that the U.S. military is stepping in to protect us here at home. 

California

The hospital ship USNS Mercy docked in Los Angeles to provide trauma and acute care to patients and to perform surgeries, thereby allowing local hospitals to focus on COVID-19 patients.

National Guardsmen have set up several medical shelters in California, including one at the LA Convention Center.  

Connecticut

The Connecticut National Guard is providing logistical support to the state’s health care system and assisting in the distribution of personal protective equipment, medical supplies and medical equipment.

The Guard is also erecting shelters that will be used for treating and housing COVID-19 patients.

New York

The Army Corps of Engineers constructed an alternate care facility that can hold up to 2,910 beds, relieving some of the demand placed on local hospitals.

The hospital ship USNS Comfort docked in NYC to provide broad spectrum medical care, enabling hospitals to focus on COVID-19 patients.

Pennsylvania

Members of the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team and 111th Attack Wing are supporting a variety of missions including providing a Montgomery County community-based testing site with medical staff. They are also providing logistics support for the creation of a 250 non-acute-patient FEMA medical station in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. 

South Carolina

South Carolina National Guardsmen are transporting personal protective equipment and other supplies to counties throughout the state.

Washington, D.C.

District of Columbia National Guard members are supporting multiple civilian agencies, manning street closure checkpoints, and providing support for medical screening, transportation, and logistics within the District of Columbia. 

Courage and commitment are trademarks of our men and women serving in the U.S. military.   As always, we at CLF are sincerely grateful for their service.  

Note: The above information was modified from the DOD News article titled “DOD Mounts Multifaceted Response to COVID-19 Pandemic” which can be found here.