Pentagon: DOD personnel to handle Ebola bodies
Memo describes training for troops, civilians making contact with ‘exposed remains’
F. Michael Maloof
WND.com
Oct. 31, 2014
WASHINGTON – A Department of Defense memo confirms DoD personnel – which could include civilians and/or troops – will have direct contact with “exposed remains” of Ebola victims.
While the DoD has issued new guidance on how military personnel and civilians will undergo pre- and post-deployment training while in the Ebola-affected areas of West Africa, buried in the 19-page memorandum in an attachment is an indication that the personnel will have direct exposure to the affected population.
The statement is in a memorandum from Jessica L. Write, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. Broken down into three levels, Level II training will be for personnel who “interact with the local populace,” and Level III training for personnel “assigned to supporting medical units or expected to handle exposed remains.”
The memo does not indicate whether both DoD civilians and troops will be required to complete Levels II and III of training. If military members must complete the training, it appears to be contrary to previous statements from DoD that the 4,000 deployed U.S. troops will not be exposed to Ebola patients but will undertake only a “supportive role.”
For such exposure, there is a more intense level of training for U.S. military and civilian personnel than the minimally required training for all deployed service members.
The following are screenshots of Level II and Level III training requirements as outlined in the memo:
The Rest…HERE
