173rd Airborne Tests 100% COVID-19 Free After Seven Weeks in the Field

 AUG. 27 | 2020 | BY ARMY SPC. RYAN LUCAS

As Exercise Saber Junction 20 wound down and the 173rd Airborne Brigade prepared to redeploy to Vicenza, Italy, and Grafenwoehr, Germany, brigade medical personnel administered COVID-19 tests to the entire force, Aug. 21, 2020.

While the brigade finished it's exercise, medical personnel administered 2,500 swabs and rapid testing in Landstuhl, Germany. All tests came back negative for the virus.

''We're conducting 100% testing of the brigade in order to ensure the health and safety of our soldiers and allies during the movement of our troops back to Italy,'' said Army Staff Sgt. Michael Aponte, a laboratory technician in the brigade.

Four battalions of the 173rd Airborne Brigade are based in Vicenza, Italy, while another two are based in Grafenwoehr, Germany. Prior to the beginning of Exercise Saber Junction 20 and the preceding field training exercise in Grafenwoehr Training Area, all Italian-based paratroopers were tested for COVID-19.

''We tested the force in Italy before moving forward to Germany,'' Aponte said. ''Today we're going to take care of the whole brigade and some attachments that we have with us.''

In order to accommodate the testing, the brigade took a tactical pause and temporarily suspended the simulated wartime environment. Spread across the vast Hohenfels Training Area, each battalion sent medical personnel to pick up the testing equipment from the brigade.

''The brigade is providing the tools and each battalion is adjusting to their area of operations,'' Aponte said. The 54th Brigade Engineer Battalion, for example, used one of the simulated towns to carry out their testing, while the Brigade Support Battalion used tents.

Army Pfc. Frank Croce, a medic assigned to the Brigade Support Battalion, assisted in the testing of 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment. Commenting on the testing site, Croce said they were able to set it up very quickly after the tactical pause began.

''It's a hasty setup, but it's effective,'' Croce said.

Once each battalion finished swabbing their entire personnel roster, the brigade collected the samples and shipped them off in a UH-60 Black Hawk for testing. As of Aug. 22, all samples tested negative. 

(Army Spc. Ryan Lucas is assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade).

Department of Defense Partnership Hires 175K Spouses

 Hiring through the Military Spouse Employment Partnership rose by more than 22 percent, with 175,000 military spouses securing jobs through the program, the Department of Defense announced this week.

The Military Spouse Employment Partnership is an initiative of the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program, which provides personalized career coaching and support to military spouses at all levels of their professional lives, from considering early educational goals to thriving in managerial or entrepreneurial roles. MSEP connects spouses to job openings and employers worldwide. 

“For all of the sacrifice MilSpouses commit, the right thing for us to do is to come along side and help them work in their career,” Second Lady Karen Pence said at the 2019 MSEP Induction Ceremony, in Crystal City, Va. “Employers who hire these MilSpouses benefit from their tremendous experience and skills.”

Since its inception in 2011, MSEP has grown to more than 440 partners across a variety of industries. 

“Military spouses are well educated and highly qualified for a range of careers, but they also face obstacles to employment because of the mobile military life,” said Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper. “MSEP is an important piece of the well-rounded support system that connects spouses with fulfilling careers that enable them to contribute to the well-being of their families. This benefits our military as a whole.”

The DOD established the SECO program to provide education and career guidance to military spouses worldwide. SECO offers free, comprehensive resources and tools related to career exploration, education, training and licensing, employment readiness and career connections. This program also offers free career coaching services six days a week.

SECO continuously introduces new and innovative ways to connect military spouses with employers. Earlier this year, SECO launched the MSEP Job Search Navigator, a service that helps the program’s career coaches match job openings with military spouse candidates. 

 

In 2019, the program started hosting virtual hiring fairs where military spouses seeking jobs connect directly with hundreds of MSEP partners with positions to fill. The next hiring fair is planned for fall 2020. Any military spouse can sign up to receive the registration announcement via the SECO eNewsletter. 

Military spouses can learn about employment opportunities, resources, hiring events and more by calling Military OneSource at 800-342-9647 to speak with a SECO career coach. 

Military OneSource is a DOD-funded program that is both a call center and a website providing comprehensive information, resources and assistance on every aspect of military life. Service members and the families of active duty, National Guard and reserve (regardless of activation status); Coast Guard members when activated for the Navy; defense expeditionary civilians; and survivors are eligible for Military OneSource services, which are available worldwide 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at no cost to the user.