COVID-19 Heroes: Fort Douglas’ Small Exchange Provides Giant Support to Deploying Soldiers
Fort Douglas Express Store Manager Gina Janoushek (left) and associates Fatima Allen and Pat Secker earned a bit of thanks from some Soldiers who were preparing to fan out all over the country to fight COVID-19.
Gina Janoushek estimates that 1,400 Soldiers and Reservists passed through the doors of the small Fort Douglas Express near Salt Lake City, Utah, on their way to 12 states to help in the fight against COVID-19.
Many of them stayed in area hotels with few shopping or restaurants nearby because most businesses had shut down to protect against the pandemic.
But the Express remained open to support these members of the 807th Medical Command and the 76th Operational Response Command.
“When COVID-19 happened, the Soldiers were stuck in their hotels with no place to go,” said Janoushek, store manager of the Fort Douglas Express. “We were able to provide needed food, supplies and MCS items to ensure they were ready for their deployment.”
The store extended its hours to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. instead of its typical 10 a.m.-to-5 p.m. schedule to provide extra service – and the Express did it all with just a three-person crew.
“It was a lot of work, but it was worth it,” said Janoushek, who runs the store along with associates Fatima Allen and Pat Secker.
Their work earned high praise from the 76th ORC’s commanding general.
“Your flexibility, kindness and endless support to our Soldiers allowed us to focus on our assigned mission to support the nation,” Brig. Gen. Douglas A. Cherry said in a letter to Janoushek.
Cherry and members of his staff also presented Janoushek, Allen and Secker with a certificate of recognition.
“We got a lot of appreciative comments, but I owe so much to my teammates,” Janoushek said. “It would have been impossible to do by myself.”
