U.S. service members and other military personnel stationed in Europe have begun receiving the coronavirus vaccine this week, U.S. European Command confirmed to Stars and Stripes in a statement.

“Getting everybody immunized allows us to move back to, essentially, a sense of normalcy in terms of how we interact with each other,” said Brig. Gen. Mark Thompson, Commanding General of Regional Health Command Europe.

On Monday, Maj. Shara Fisher, the clinic commander at the U.S. Army Health Clinic Kaiserslautern, became the first to receive the Moderna vaccine at the facility, which is based in Germany.

“I chose to get the vaccine today in an effort to demonstrate my confidence in its safety and encourage all others to get the vaccine when it’s time,” she said.

Military personnel were also vaccinated this week at RAF Alconbury in England.

The Department of Defense’s clinics in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Belgium will begin receiving the vaccine next week.

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