The weeks leading up to deployment are a busy time for Exchange associates: Vaccines, survival training and extensive paperwork are just a few items on a long to-do list for those preparing to serve those who serve in remote overseas locations.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has added another prerequisite to that list: Two weeks of precautionary isolation.
Logistics Operations Manager III Manny Nitzschke and Fort Hood General Manager Daniel Wise are both currently in isolation with about 200 Soldiers at Fort Bliss’ CONUS Replacement Center (CRC), where they are given twice-daily temperature checks and a COVID-19 test for each week of their stay.
Rooms are sparse, with three to four bunks, a single closet, and a small refrigerator and freezer. The grounds provide space for outdoor exercise, and there’s a TV in the commons area. Other than that, creature comforts are limited to Wi-Fi, snacks and drinks ordered from the Exchange, and camaraderie among those awaiting deployment.
“They call it isolation, but we’re still going outside and talking with each other,” said Nitzschke, who is preparing for a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan. “We have a group that plays cards. We’re just making the best out of it: laughing, joking and telling stories. We’re getting to know each other.”
Nobody in the isolation group is authorized to leave the isolation block other than as a group with a cadre escort for official tasks, during which masks are required. About two to three times a day, the group is counted and marched out of the CRC area in full formation with Soldiers for briefings and a quick 15-minute chow at the Fort Bliss Soldier Readiness Program site.
“You just have to stay busy,” Wise said. “I downloaded some audiobooks and a few digital books to read. You can run the yard and do laps, so I make sure to exercise every day.”
While Nitzschke said she’s enjoyed getting to know the Soldiers she’s staying with—and even plans to keep up with some of them after isolation ends—she said the real experience will begin when she deploys.
“I appreciate the Exchange giving me the opportunity to deploy,” she said. “I’ve been with the company for 15 years now, and I’ve always wanted to see the other side of what we do. I grew up in the military, so I want to be able to experience it firsthand.”
“I guess once you’re a military brat, you’ll always be a military brat.”
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