Vancouver native deployed in Africa participates in readiness exercise

VANCOUVER — U.S. Army Cpl. Deja Gomez-Lewis, a dental assistant assigned to Dental Health Activity Italy deployed to Africa recently and took part in a medical readiness exercise at the Kamenge Military Hospital in Bujumbura, Burundi. A native of Vancouver, Gomez-Lewis has been in the U.S. Army for almost five years. The Burundi exercise was her first deployment since joining the Army. The exercise, planned and organized by the Southern European Task Force in Italy, took place July 10 to Aug. 4, and consisted of approximately 20 U.S. Army medical and dental personnel from 30th Medical Brigade headquartered at Sembach, Germany.