FORT HOOD, Texas – The U.S. Army is deploying about 500 Fort Hood soldiers to Liberia to back U.S. efforts in the fight against the spread of the deadly Ebola virus.
A Fort Hood statement says a ceremony Wednesday at Fort Hood to case the colors of the 36th Engineer Brigade will mark the formal beginning of the deployment. The casing of the colors is an Army tradition that symbolizes the movement of a unit to a new theater of operation.
The statement issued Tuesday says the brigade’s contingent of about 450 soldiers comprises the largest unit of the 500 Fort Hood soldiers deploying to West Africa.
The brigade headquarters will manage the joint engineer forces in Liberia. Subordinate units will primarily focus on building life-support areas for U.S. troops and Ebola treatment units.
