June 2022 — MHCE Newsletter

WWW.MHCE.US Monthly Newsletter | 29
Army Units in South
Korea Receive Award
for Initial Response to
COVID-19 Pandemic
CAMP HUMPHREYS,
South Korea — Eighth
Army received the Army
Superior Unit Award for
its efforts in curbing the
spread of COVID-19
during the onset of the
pandemic in South Korea,
according to a press
release Thursday.
“Eighth Army and cited
units displayed outstanding
meritorious service
through their response
to the global pandemic
cause by COVID-19,
making their #1 priority
to protect the force during
these extraordinary
circumstances,” the
award’s citation said.
The citation from the
Army’s Human Resources
Command added that
Eighth Army’s efforts
“enabled the effective
response to the pandemic
not only on the Korean
Peninsula but more
importantly informed
response operations
worldwide.”
Soldiers present for duty
while being attached to
Eighth Army or one of
several units in South
Korea between Jan. 28,
2020, to April 30, 2020,
are eligible to wear the
superior unit award
permanently. Army
civilian employees who
served within the same
timeframe are also eligible
for the award.
South Korea became one
of the first countries to
report COVID-19 cases
outside of China in January
2020. In Daegu, roughly
100 miles southeast of
Camp Humphreys in
Pyeongtaek, the U.S.
military reported its firstever
COVID-19 case on
Feb. 20, 2020.
U.S. Forces Korea, the
command responsible for
roughly 28,500 troops
on the peninsula, and
its individual garrison
commanders initiated
lockdowns as case
numbers increased in the
military community.
The Army’s response
in South Korea, which
included the construction
of several quarantine
facilities and the
reassignment of thousands
of service members,
became the testing
ground for the military’s
worldwide pandemic
response.
Col. Michael Tremblay,
the former garrison
commander at Camp
Humphreys, did not
leave the base for 102
consecutive days.
“Everybody’s singular
focus from then on was,
‘How do we get this from
getting inside,’” he said in
June 2021. “We quickly
ramped up the things
that we were doing. For
those three months, we
did nothing but 24-hour
operations, continuously
coming up with new
processes.”
An Eighth Army
spokesman said the
command was “extremely
proud of our soldiers, both
past and present.”
“Their professionalism
allowed us to continue
our mission of supporting
our regional allies and
deterring potential
adversaries while
simultaneously managing
the effects of the global
pandemic,” Lt. Col. Neil
Penttila said in an email
to Stars and Stripes on
Friday.
USFK counted 104 new
infections in the week
ending Monday, down
from the 141 cases
reported between May 10-
16, according to a USFK
update on Tuesday.
The command reported 98
infections May 3-9, down
from the weekly record of
1,599 cases Jan. 4-10.
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