Space Soldier mobilizes to fight pandemic

By Staff Sgt. Aaron RognstadSeptember 24, 2020

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Oscar Alcala, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, hikes above Salt Lake City, Utah, May 2020. Alcala mobilized with Task Force 76 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Oscar Alcala, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, hikes above Salt Lake City, Utah, May 2020. Alcala mobilized with Task Force 76 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — When one U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command Reserve Soldier’s civilian career came to a halt when his Colorado-based furniture store announced it was closing indefinitely due to the coronavirus, he volunteered to help fight it.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Oscar Alcala, battalion motor officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade, mobilized from early April to late May with Task Force 76 in Federal Emergency Management Agency Region 8, to Fort Douglas, Utah, where he tracked equipment readiness as a maintenance officer-in-charge, making sure everything from vehicles to thermometers worked.

“All of a sudden I am unemployed. I saw (the mobilization) as a good opportunity to help out and stay afloat at the same time,” Alcala said. “(The mobilization) went well. I made sure all the equipment was up to par and passed inspections. If you don’t have operational equipment, you aren’t going to get very far.”

Alcala was part of Operations Group Delta, in charge of the command and control side of operations tasked to respond to civil authorities for emergency situations in response to the pandemic.

During his mobilization, Alcala lived out of a nearby hotel. He and his fellow Soldiers walked to work every morning and went about their day-to-day job duties. During what little free time they had, they hiked around the surrounding foothills abutting the small military installation for exercise and leisure and watched movies or Facetimed loved ones back home.

“Everything was closed. It was surreal. The city was dead,” said Alcala. “We ate our meals in the (dining facility) and didn’t go anywhere except hiking all over the mountains. It seemed like everyone had the same idea too. People were out in numbers enjoying the trails and the outdoors.”

Sgt. Maj. Michael Aschinger, sustainment senior enlisted adviser for Operations Group Delta at Fort Douglas, praised Alcala and his team for their efforts during the mobilization.

“These guys didn’t know what they were getting themselves involved in,” he said. “But they all did an outstanding job and we accomplished our mission. I’d serve with that group any day and do it all over again.”

Alcala expressed similar sentiments.

“Given the opportunity I would do it again. It’s nice to know that I was able to help out a little bit,” he said. “Every Soldier wants to do their part and help their country; their community. This was a real-world mission on our home front. These types of missions don’t exactly come around every day. This is what I get up for in the morning.”

Related Links

U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command

STAND-TO!: Army Space Operations

Army.mil: U.S. Army Guidance on Coronavirus

Army.mil: Soldiers

Army.mil: Worldwide News