ORLANDO, Fla. — The U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division on Friday deployed about 130 soldiers to Orlando to provide logistical support at a federal COVID-19 vaccination site.
What You Need To Know
- About 130 soldiers from 101st Airborne Division deploy to Orlando from Fort Campbell
- Soldiers aim to provide logistical support for federal site at Valencia College West
- RELATED: 101st Airborne Division to Deploy to Orlando, Support Vaccinations
The soldiers deployed from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and will serve at Valencia College’s West campus, one of four sites that the U.S. government established in Florida. The others are in Tampa, Miami, and Jacksonville.
The 101st Airborne Division, called the Screaming Eagles, calls itself one of the “most deployed and recognized Divisions in the U.S. Army.” Its combat record spans “the paratroopers of World War II to the Security Force Assistance Teams deployed in Afghanistan today,” according to the Army.
“They’re there for logistical support,” Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said Thursday. He said the soldiers would “set up tents, tables and other things. It helps to relieve us because we are supporting multiple (vaccination) sites and locations now.”
The four sites are scheduled to open Wednesday and remain open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. Each site aims to administer 2,000 shots a day, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis.