NEWS

The U.S. Army Reserve's 81st Readiness Division bid farewell to Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Kenneth D. Jones, during a socially distanced relinquishment of command ceremony July 30 at the Headquarters Building on Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

Daily and weekly, I receive, analyze, process, and report to higher what appears to be an endless number of COVID-19 information updates and briefings. Last week, as I received of one of our routine Fort Jackson updates related to COVID-19, the briefer (Mr. Darryl “Bo” Bowman) Director of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security, or DPTMS, made the perfect summary statement at the conclusion of a brief that most accurately captures our way forward for Fort Jackson. As we discussed various aspects of Health Protection Conditions (HPCON), Public Health Emergency status, school re-openings, current case rates in South Carolina, our surrounding counties, and our normal summer trainee fill levels, Mr. Bowman’s summation point was perfect. He said “Sir, we need to tighten up, but not lighten up.”

Soldiers may not graduate from Basic Combat Training in person before a large, cheering crowd but they don’t leave Fort Jackson without a small send off.

“We are going to open Andy’s Fitness Center inside the Solomon Center seven days a week,” said Col. John “Wes” Hankins, Fort Jackson’s garrison commander, during the biweekly Commanding General’s Virtual Town Hall on Special Topics July 16.

COVID-19 has changed many things on Fort Jackson. One thing that has gone away during this time of lock down and social distancing is the morale concert the 282nd Army Band normally plays to trainees about to graduate.

On July 8 and 10, Fort Jackson supported the Midlands’ pandemic efforts by hosting drive-thru COVID-19 testing just outside of the Palmetto Falls Water Park.

Fort Jackson along with the Medical University of South Carolina began free COVID-19 testing on post July 8.

Updates to Fort Jackson housing were among the topics discussed during a quarterly community town hall held virtually July 1.