US Military to fight Ebola epidemic
A few weeks ago, I speculated that there were US troops packing their bags to go to Africa and aid in the fight against the Ebola outbreak. Someone emailed me that they were indeed stuffing their duffel bag in anticipation of the move. The Washington Post reports it, too;
The epidemic, which has killed at least 2,100 people in five African countries, is unlikely to spread to the United States in the short term, Obama said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” But if the United States and other countries do not send needed equipment, public health workers and other supplies to the region, that situation could change and the virus could mutate to become more transmissible, he said.
“And then it could be a serious danger to the United States,” Obama said.
“We’re going to have to get U.S. military assets just to set up, for example, isolation units and equipment there,” he said, “to provide security for public health workers surging from around the world.”
So, once again, the President calls on the only folks in government who haven’t let him down. And while he’s sending US troops to Africa, he’s trying to cut the rate of their pay and increase the cost of their healthcare when they leave the service and suffer from the consequences of being stationed in yet another of the world’s shitholes.
Category: Military issues
Ah … Few problems here:
1. Spread will continue as long as cultural rights trump public health. Family members retreive dead contagious bodies for Voodoo like rituals.
2. Voodoo is bad.
3. Peace Corps and most NGO’s without specialized equip and training have pulled out!
4. Voodoo is bad.
5. At the current rates of infection and pourous borders this epidemic will be a pandemic and the DoD will not stop it … Unless they are on their way to demonstrate how to properly dispose of contaminated dead bodies.
6. Voodoo is bad.
Any questions?
I’m a little confused about that voodoo part. It’s what?
Voodoo is bad, mmmmkay?
No. To steal Joboo’s rum is bad.
Is VERY bad.
You no help me with curveball, I say f— you Joboo!
John, MCPO NYCUSN Ret,
At some point we are going to have to start sending the Fastfood workers to handle situations like this as our military will be so poorly compensated that they will be not inclined to go.
Stuff like this doesn’t help either.
Once again, I’m glad he’s using the military for what they were intended to be used.
I think this is a job more fitting for all the Occutard types…
Translation: There are not enough cases in the US yet. That’s just not fair! So let’s introduce more Americans to the virus. Who can we send? Oh, yeah. Those stupid military folks. Win-win. How many can we get over there before the elections?
I thought the WHO, CDC, and UN actually had units for this kind of thing. Oh, and where in our ever-expanding budget is he getting the money for this?
On top of that, it’s not like there are any terrorist organizations in that part of the world that would quickly decide to weapon the virus to be used against the troops put there against the wishes of the government/population.
Great. Another “humanitarian mission” to an area of the world that (with the possible exception of the Niger River delta oil fields) is of little or no strategic interest to the USA.
There is oil in Liberia.
http://www.propublica.org/article/follow-the-money-payment-trail-reveals-challenges-of-ridding-liberia-of-cor
And more – Exxon was awarded a contract for offshore block 13 at a savings of $75 million less than a competitive bid due to the US pledging to maintain stability in Liberia. They cannot spud that well now because most ex-pat workers have fled due to the ebola panic.
Never fear, your tax dollars and military lives are always at work protecting big corporations.
Actually, it appears as if the CIA disagrees with your assessment – at least in terms of proven reserves:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2244rank.html
In contrast, Nigeria has the 10th largest proven oil reserves in the world.
So, is he sending the same soldiers they’ve been giving pink slips to? Wonderful.
“Hey, before we kick you out, here’s a chance to catch a fatal disease that will cause you to bleed internally and externally. Thank you for your service, but I got a fund raiser to get to.”
So we must obviously now have special new bullets with medicine right inside of them. This we we can simply shoot the disease right out of everybody.
The bullets clearly make a lot more sense than using the military’s actual medical system. I don’t see how asking them “if their vagina hurts” and giving them a some motrin would really help the situation.
The actual quote from a cadet at advanced camp “Sergeant, my vulva aches”.
This is gonna end SOOOOOO well.
Fucker won’t be happy until he kills half the US population.
Liberians need to made to use proper sanitation and disease control measures at gunpoint… stupid was invented there.
So in the face of a disease which should be treated by minimally exposed trained health professionals, we are going to send boatloads of medically untrained troops and say “here, put this on like a MOPP suit and mind you don’t get sick”. Damn, it’s like someone started watching “The Last Ship” and said “wow, what a cool idea!”
So in the face of a disease which should be treated by minimally exposed trained health professionals, we are going to send boatloads of medically untrained troops and say “here, put this on like a MOPP suit and mind you don’t get sick”. Damn, it’s like someone started watching “The Last Ship” and said “wow, what a cool idea!”
Nothing kills a virus like napalm….just sayin.
True enough, too bad we don’t have any napalm in the inventory anymore.
I believe the seriousness of the epidemic is under-reported. A few wees ago the death toll was 1400. It stayed that way for about a week. Now its only 2100?
Anyone who was infected 4 weeks ago and numbers have ranged in the thousands are dead.
The danger will get worse as it soreads and an already weak infrastructure crumbles.
Before we deploy US troops, I say we give sanctions a chance.
Did I mention the failure of the government to convince the public that proper disposal (burning) of the infected bodies might help vise permitting body retreival by distraught familiy …
Nah …
Voodoo is bad … Very bad!
Give the troops a freakin one percent pay raise cap but send them in to deal with this shit. Way to go Chump in Chief. The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) has come out strongly against this bullshit and if you are an officer, retired or active, who does not belong, ask yourself why. It is our job to look out for those who followed us into Harm’s Way and MOAA is the leader in doing that. I challenge all CWO’s/WO’s to join MOAA. We are the only one doing squat in a meaningful manner.
No worries. When our soldiers catch a little ebola, the VA hospital system will take care of them.
Don’t worry about a pandemic.
They got this.
What are American troops really going to do? I’m sorry, but Joe is a highly trained fighting machine. Unfortunately, and other NCOs can back me up here, Joe is also a knucklehead who can’t stay out of trouble in one form or another.
These are the people we will be throwing into the middle of a contagious area, surrounded by vectors. Seeing as how it takes 4-6 weeks for Ebola to actually show up, if one soldier is infected… we are looking at an infected squad a week later, platoon a week after that, company the next week, and possibly battalion before Joe shows his first symptoms.
But, hey, the pResident knows what he’s doing, right? I mean, these are the people who only hold his umbrella, right?
They’ll be safe as long as they wear their reflective belts, you all know that. I also heard Ebola was very discriminating. It only affects the single, heterosexual, non-divorced, white male, and non-hyphenated Africans in Africa, so the majority of the Military is fine, right? Sounds like a great call to send them, if you ask me.
My money says it’s not going to just be a company of 11 bang bangs, it will probably be Civil Affairs. If they were going to be smart about it, they would send a reserve CA battalion that is full of doctors, I know there are a couple on the east coast that are set up that way.
If.
So God forbid, B. Hussein 0bama does send Troops there, how will they be taken care of if they get infected, will they do what’s right, or the usual “Take some Motrin, it’s all in your mind, nothing’s wrong with you, drink water and carry on!”
GOD help America!!
The REPORTED death toll now stands at 1,900++, which does not count those deaths NOT reported. The number of infected (contagious) cases is now over 3,500 and rapidly rising, and those are the REPORTED cases.
How are US troops supposed to ‘fight’ this virus? With harsh words?
This administration just gets stupider and stupider with each passing hour.
I am sure they are blaming Reagan and Bush.
EVERYTHING is Bush’s fault, just ask any 0bamite!! /sarc
As an aside…..
Didn’t DOD just cancel danger pay (HF/IDP) for Liberia a few months back?
I know a pandemic is not hostile fire, but instability and violence brought on by the epidemic (not to mention the dearth of appropriate medical support) does rise to the bar of imminent danger.