[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 94 (Tuesday, May 19, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E468]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         CITIZEN SOLDIER HEROES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 19, 2020

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, members of the South 
Carolina National Guard are heroes. During this challenging time, it is 
inspiring that South Carolina National Guard Service Members choose to 
serve the citizens of South Carolina. The National Guard continues to 
answer the call and assist communities affected by the Wuhan Virus. 
Here are six heroes in South Carolina.
  Doctor (Col.) Phillip Latham is the state Air Surgeon for the South 
Carolina Air National Guard, serves as the South Carolina Air National 
Guard medical lead and COVID-19 medical response coordinator. His 
efforts and accomplishments positively impact South Carolina 
communities daily.
  Colonel Latham liaises with the South Carolina Hospital Association. 
He assists statewide medical surge planning and weekly regional 
response coordination meetings. Additionally, Colonel Latham has 
coordinated a patient transportation response plan, enhanced resource 
acquirement allocation, and regional planning for Tier 1 and Tier 2 
alternate care sites, as well as improve emergency ambulance response 
protocols. He also worked through the South Carolina Hospital 
Association and South Carolina Manufacturers Empowerment program for 
the creation of centralized ordering and distribution of protective 
personal equipment. Engineering support statewide alternate care site 
surveys, identified and planned for possible infrastructure expansion 
to meet needs in excess of current regional hospital capacity. Lastly, 
he coordinated phase 2 testing and contact tracing plans in concert 
with the South Carolina Hospital Association, South Carolina Emergency 
Management Division, Department of Health and Environmental Control and 
National Guard leadership for a roll out of both diagnostic and 
immunity testing across the state.
  Doctor (Lt. Col.) Vanessa Wideman, is the 169th Medical Group, Flight 
Surgeon. Lieutenant Colonel Wideman advised South Carolina National 
Guard leadership on COVID-19 mitigation efforts, mapped out McEntire 
Joint National Guard Base's strategy and response for COVID-19, and 
advised 169th Fighter Wing leadership on Health Protection Condition 
(HPCON) levels. She continues to coordinate with the Center for Disease 
Control and Prevention to improve individualized member response to 
COVID-19 for potentially affected members.
  Doctor (Lt. Col.) Fred Smith, is the 157th Fighter Squadron, Flight 
Surgeon. Lieutenant Colonel Smith's testing efforts helped map out 
hospital network efforts across South Carolina. He also observed and 
provided oversight for the South Carolina National Guard--civilian 
partnership, in food distribution, and receiving, at Harvest Hope food 
bank.
  Lieutenant Colonel Paul Laymon is the 169th Security Forces Squadron 
Commander. Lieutenant Colonel Laymon has coordinated, organized, 
planned, staffed, and co-lead the development of the COVID-19 Joint 
Task Force--Security (C-JTFS). He also developed new Operating 
Instructions for safe and secure entry onto McEntire Joint National 
Guard Base and authored the National Guard's Adversary Threat 
Assessment to include concerns over weaponization of the Novel Virus 
COVID-19. Lastly, he coordinated with the South Carolina Department of 
Health and Environmental Control, and the South Carolina Joint 
Operations Center for the safe-secure delivery and redistribution of 
the CDC National Stockpile Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
  Lieutenant Colonel Allen R. Stewart serves as the South Carolina 
National Guard Joint Force Headquarters Logistics Director. In this 
capacity, he's coordinated South Carolina National Guard support at 
Oliver Gospel mission, set up Blue Tent training between the Department 
of Health and Environmental Control and 59th Troop Command, and worked 
with the South Carolina National Guard to set up the Georgia Air 
National Guard's sanitizing ``Train the Trainer'' classes for the South 
Carolina National Guard. Furthermore, his efforts helped improve 
planning efforts and protective measures with the South Carolina 
Department of Corrections. Lieutenant Colonel Stewart also helped set 
up South Carolina's food distribution in Horry County and facilitated 
the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicle's plan to use South 
Carolina National Guard armories across the state to enable social 
distancing between the public and DMV staff.
  Second Lieutenant Trey Murphy is the Logistics Readiness Officer for 
the 169th Logistics Readiness Squadron. Second Lieutenant Murphy 
coordinated and hosted the South Carolina Department of Health and 
Environmental Control Receipt, Store, and Stage (RSS) refresher 
training course, which showed how to manage distribution of Strategic 
National Stockpile (SNS) material. His efforts enabled his squadron to 
store over two-hundred pallets of personal protective equipment on more 
than fifty tactical convoys, serving all forty-six counties in South 
Carolina. He also coordinated the joint effort for the staging of US 
Army personnel and equipment in advance of civilian bus driver training 
conducted on McEntire Joint National Guard Base.
  I am grateful to have worked with my colleagues in the 116th Congress 
to provide needed funding for vital personal protective equipment, 
material, and support for our Service Members and their families.

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