Rep. Mark Green (R-TN-07) sent a letter to Chairman Adam Smith and Ranking Member Mac Thornberry of the House Armed Services Committee asking them to fund Fort Campbell’s hospital after the base saw soldiers go to New York, New Jersey and Boston to help fight the coronavirus.
Fort Campbell’s 531st Hospital Center deployed 300 soldiers to New York and has helped out at Javits New York Medical Center since March 24, according to Green’s press release. An additional 10 soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division were sent to assist in New Jersey and Boston.
The COVID-19 outbreak is damaging our nation’s public health in an unprecedent way, but, as always, the United States Army has stepped up to do all it can to stem the tide. As a veteran myself, I am grateful to each and every soldier who is placing their own health at risk to protect our people. Our soldiers have always put service before self, and their service now is just as essential as ever. We cannot win this fight without them.
New York is the worst hit area in our country right now with nearly 14,000 deaths. Major General Brian Winski, Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell, deployed 300 soldiers from the 531st Hospital Center to assist. My district hosts much of Fort Campbell, and I am proud of the work they are doing. They arrived on the ground in NY on Tuesday, March 24, within 48 hours of receiving orders and have been assisting at Javits New York Medical Center. They have brought with them extensive medical expertise from the whole range of specialties and a tremendous work ethic to get the job done under pressure. Furthermore, soldiers from the 101st have since deployed to assist in New Jersey and Boston.
Unfortunately, Fort Campbell could end up with inadequate funding due to expending funds for the current deployments. The base hospital, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, will have to go without necessary improvements without a backfill of their funding. I urge Congress to prioritize a backfill of these funds in the upcoming NDAA. This is not an eligible expense for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding, so it will have to come from elsewhere in the budget. I am ready to work together with you in any way we need to figure out a solution that works best.
Thank you for your dedication to our nation and tireless efforts to resolve this crisis. I appreciate your time and consideration. Should any of your staff need a staff POC, please have them contact my senior legislative assistant Joseph Danaher ([email protected]). I look forward to hearing from you soon.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of Star News Digital Media. If you have any tips, email Zachery at [email protected].
Background Photo “House Armed Services Committee Meeting” by Chairman of The Joint Chief of Staff. CC BY 2.0.
