FORT STEWART, Ga. — Fort Stewart Garrison’s senior enlisted leader, Command Sgt. Maj. Rebecca Myers, visited several locations in the Marne community April 3 to ensure things were smooth operating smoothly as safety precautions for COVID-19 remain in place on Fort Stewart.
“This is the first time any of us have had to figure out what to do in a pandemic,” Myers said.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about readiness.,” she said. “The Army keeps rolling along. We just want to make sure that the health of our force is protected, so if we do receive the call to be the nation’s first responders, we are ready to go at any given moment.”
The first stop during her checks was the Fort Stewart Commissary. Myers verified that the commissary was stocked with essentials like diapers, baby formula and cleaning supplies. She then spoke with employees to see if the new COVID-19 guidelines helped operations run smoother.
Myers ensured that the noncommissioned officer positioned at the commissary entrance was synced with store managers, so if they needed to make a judgment call based on too many people in the store, the NCO could limit the number of people going into the store.
From there, Myers went to the drive-thru pharmacy to get the input of patients receiving medication. One pharmacy visitor thanked Myers and told her the drive-thru pharmacy was a good idea to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.
“While we are looking after our Soldiers, it’s also about protecting the health and readiness of our community,” said Myers. “Even though a young Soldier might not feel that they are sick or susceptible, there are also other people in the community that we have to look out for. If they are asymptomatic, they might be passing the virus on and not even know it.”
The next stop was Gate 3 on Fort Stewart. On duty was a Soldier and a civilian security guard to assist people if needed. As people entered the gate, the guards let them know the important updates that pertain to gate hours and how they will be functioning as rules change.
“I think it’s great to see the sergeant major and be able to interact with her and talk about issues going on,” said Pvt. Blake Mowder, a military police officer with the 546th Military Police Company, 385th Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade. “It’s good that higher leadership is coming around looking after everybody.”
Myers said she appreciates hearing feedback from people in the community and found several ways to improve the flow of establishments while fighting this pandemic.
“We are all in this together,” said Myers. “Everybody plays a small part and there’s always something you can do; whether you stay at home, go the commissary by yourself instead of taking your whole family, or donate blood. Everyone can do something but to make this effective, we all have to do something together in order to help stop the spread.”
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