ACC lawyer contributes to Ebola fight

By Mr. Ed Worley (Army Contracting Command)December 18, 2014

Pillsbury
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala.--When an Army Contracting Command lawyer volunteered for a temporary duty assignment to Italy, little did he know he'd become part of the international fight against the deadly Ebola virus.

Michael Pillsbury, an attorney-advisor (contracts) in the ACC Office of Counsel here, served as an attorney-advisor for the 414th Contracting Support Brigade, Vicenza, from July to November. When he arrived, the brigade's command judge advocate was heading TDY to Jordan and Qatar. The deputy command judge advocate was new to the unit and to contracting in general. The brigade was also in the process of hiring for its vacant civilian attorney position, he said.

Pillsbury provided legal reviews of contract actions, modifications and solicitations. He also provided counsel on a wide range of issues related to the CSB.

The brigade supports two regional contracting offices -- RCO-Italy and RCO-Africa. He spent most of his time supporting RCO-Africa, which handles contracting for U.S. Army Africa.

"That became extremely important near the end of fiscal year 2014 with the beginning of Operation United Assistance," he said.

United Assistance is a Department of Defense operation to provide command and control, logistics, training and engineering support to the U.S. Agency for International Development-led efforts to contain the Ebola virus outbreak in West African nations. It began in September.

"We became the lead contracting service for the continent, especially in West Africa where the Ebola outbreak was the worst," he explained.

A 14-member U.S. Army Africa contingent was the first on the ground in mid-September to conduct an initial leader's reconnaissance. That was followed on Sept. 20 with 40 additional people.

Originally, the 414th dispatched three Soldiers to conduct operational contract support planning, and execute theater support contracting for the joint force, according to Lt. Col. Bill Campbell, the brigade's chief, Contracting Support Plans and Operations, who was on the first aircraft to Liberia. He has since returned to Vicenza and completed his quarantine. That contracting force grew to 19 Soldiers and an Army civilian, which is what the 414th CSB currently has on the ground in West Africa, he said.

"When you are involved with this type of operation, it's not just how do we treat Ebola," Pillsbury said. "It's (also) how do we feed our Soldiers, how do we get drinking water, how do we ensure our Soldiers are safe, where do we house them."

Pillsbury said the task was made more difficult because of the underdeveloped nature of the countries involved.

"We needed to build infrastructure for hospitals and clinics in an area that did not have the resources to do so. Basically our forces were working with a blank slate," he said.

Ebola, food, housing and personal security were not the only threats to the deployed forces. According to U.S. Africa Command, the fight against Ebola poses a significantly smaller threat than malaria.

"Right now, based on current statistics, someone who is unprotected from malaria has a 50 percent chance per month of getting malaria in Liberia," said Capt. Neel Shah, physician and Barclay Training Center aid station officer in charge, Joint Forces Command -- United Assistance. "Mathematically, statistically, in every way you look at it, malaria is the biggest killer."

Troops deployed in support of OUA received anti-malarial medication, special equipment and clothing to prevent mosquito bites and infection, AFRICOM officials said, which created another challenge for the contracting team--to find clothes cleaners with the capability to properly treat their special clothing.

Pillsbury said those challenges did not dull the 414th's response.

"We were in communication with the people down there 24-hours a day," he said. "The brigade's officers, non-commissioned officers, civilians and foreign nationals made sure the goals set by others could be met by our group. The energy they had, the attitude they exhibited was wonderful. That's what I'll always remember."

He has a few other memories, including a trip to Rome and a hike with brigade teammates. He also returned with a Commander's Award for Civilian Service and a wall plaque to remind him of his contribution to the fight against Ebola.