From left: Leslie Ann ‘LA’ Sully, media relations officer, Brig. Gen. Milford H. ‘Beags’ Beagle Jr., Fort Jackson commander, LaTrice Langston, social media manager, and Col. Jeremiah Stubbs interim Public Health Emergency Office at Moncrief Army Health Clinic speak during a virtual town hall Aug. 27 (Screenshot)
By Robert Timmons
Fort Jackson Public Affairs
The installation provides biweekly updates to the community and the extended Fort Jackson Family through town halls. The information can range from updated COVID protection measures to the latest school information.
Jackson reminded viewers that its live streamed events are free of charge.
“We will not charge you to watch Basic Combat Training graduations,” said LaTrice Langston, Fort Jackson’s social media manager during the Commanding General’s Virtual Town Hall on Special Topics Aug. 27, “or any of our ceremonies we stream live. There is no charge for that. This morning we had an influx of people posting comments with links to another site to watch the graduations.
“Please do not click on them. We are blocking them as fast as we can.”
She added there are no others streaming the events. “They are live on pages and you don’t need to go anywhere else.”
Fort Jackson’s commander Brig. Gen. Milford H. “Beags” Beagle Jr., was joined by Langston, Col. Jeremiah Stubbs, interim Public Health Emergency Officer at Moncrief Army Health Clinic and Leslie Ann “LA” Sully, media relations officer on the panel.
Even in a pandemic “our bright spot is what we do,” Beagle said opening the town hall. He showed pictures of trainees drilling with their weapons, operating radios, throwing hand grenades and working together to get through obstacles at the Teamwork Development Course.
He also reminded viewers that Families visiting their loved ones on the installation not only threatens their Soldiers, but the mission as well. Some visitors who can access the installation have linked up with their Soldiers even though in-person graduation and Family day ceremonies have been canceled.
“That absolutely, positively has got to stop,” Beagle said. ‘It is absolutely, 100%, a threat to our mission.”
He added that 15,000 Soldiers have shipped since March and not a single positive Soldier has landed in another installation in the Army. “One person could end that and jeopardize it.” The installation sees 3-5,000 visitors each week with each having the potential to expose trainees to COVID-19.
“Those who have graduated and made it through their final exercise we know they don’t have it,” Beagle said emphatically. “We have 15,000 who can prove it. For one person to jeopardize that, to jeopardize our Soldiers, our company, our battalions and jeopardize 56 others; we can’t have it.”
If Families are caught, the Soldier is going to get in trouble for violating General Order #2 and be subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Beagle added.
It was also announced during the town hall that the library has begun curbside service, Child, Youth Services will be open for essential personnel, the Dog Park has reopened, AAFES and the NCO Club will begin indoor dining, and Weston Lake RV Park and Cabins will be reopening.
When checking books out from the library there will be a three-day wait period between when a book is checked in and then checked out.
“You can’t use wipes or antiseptics on the pages or it will wear the book out,” Stubbs said as he explained why a three-day wait period is used. “We want to use time for the viral load to diminish.”
To learn more about what was said during the town hall by viewing the entire event at: https://www.facebook.com/fortjackson/videos/3299895453434887.
Sully said more information about the post closures can be found on the garrison Facebook page. The page can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/USArmyGarrisonFortJackson.
The next Commanding General Virtual Town Hall on Special Topics will take place at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 10.
