A new lease on life: Realty assistant aids Ebola response efforts in Liberia

SAVANNAH, Ga. – No stranger to warfare in the jungles of Vietnam and the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan, Angel Rivera set out on a familiar task in an unfamiliar territory that bred an enemy just as malignant as those he encountered as a career Soldier.

Rivera was one of two specialists from the South Atlantic Division’s Contingency Real Estate Support Team, or CREST, sent to hammer out leases and land-use agreements for Operation United Assistance, a humanitarian assistance mission aimed to combat the Ebola epidemic killing thousands of Liberians and paralyzing response efforts of the nation.

In October 2014 during the peak of the outbreak, Rivera deployed with eight Army civilian volunteers and four Soldiers comprising the Europe District’s Forward Engineering Support Team, or FEST. Together, the team rendered U.S. efforts to help contain the Ebola virus and synchronize the establishment of Ebola treatment units, train health care workers and establish logistical centers across the country, he said.