Here’s a recap of our involvement with COVID-19 support. Pennsylvania Task Force (PTF) – South, based around the 56SBCT and supported by the 111th Attack Wing, has been running 24/7 operations since mid-March, supporting federal, state, and local agencies across the southern and eastern third of Pennsylvania. PTF-S supports the Commonwealth from Philadelphia in the Southeast to Chambersburg and State College in the mid-state. Of note, our area includes Cumberland County and Carlisle Barracks. Interestingly, PTF-S and 56SBCT units’ history and support to the Commonwealth dates to the pre-Revolutionary War period, beginning with Ben Franklin’s Associators in 1747, and our COVID-19 support has been primarily in the 5-county Philadelphia area. TF Associator, based around 1-111IN, has supported federal, state, and county agencies at Montgomery County’s Community Based Testing Site and at the County Emergency Management Center, administering almost 4900 tests since opening in mid-March. TF Griffin, based around the 103rd BEB, assisted FEMA in establishing a Federal Medical Station at the Glen Mills School in Delaware County, southwest of Philadelphia. TF Saber, based around 1-104 Cavalry, assisted federal and state agencies in delivering equipment and supplies for special-needs patients to the Federal Medical Station established at the Liacoras Center in Philadelphia. My XO, LTC Reece Lutz, is in the DDE Class of 2020 and supported this for the first 10 days while doing his USAWC forum for Campaign Planning II!
COL Jon D. Farr
Distance Class of 2019
Commander, 56SBCT
