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As soldiers deploy amid pandemic, they fight 2 battles

NC Deployment COVID
NC Deployment COVID
Posted at 4:42 AM, Jun 17, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-17 04:42:35-04

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - For Fort Bragg soldiers deploying to the Middle East, the usual predeparture fanfare has been replaced with a mandatory two-week quarantine amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Married paratroopers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team are hunkering down at home before boarding a military transport to fly across the globe.

Single soldiers, meanwhile, are quarantined in a secluded compound on base.

The Department of Defense has been forced to adapt quickly to comply with guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, while still maintaining a constant state of readiness.