A Soldier from the Virginia Beach-based 229th Military Police Company takes the oath of appointment as Washington, D. C. special police Jan. 19, 2013, at Fort Belvoir. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Terra C. Gatti, Virginia Guard Public Affairs)
FORT BELVOIR, Va. – More than 300 Virginia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen were sworn in Jan. 19, 2013, as Washington, D. C. special police to assist with security operations for the 57th Presidential Inauguration. About 600 Virginia Guard personnel will join a force of approximately 6,000 National Guard personnel from 25 states and territories supporting the 57th Presidential Inauguration Jan. 21, 2013, in Washington, D. C. and Northern Virginia. Virginia Guard personnel will assist with traffic control, crowd management, communications and chaplain support, and an additional 100 personnel from the Virginia Army National Guard, Virginia Air National Guard and Virginia Defense Force will conduct mission command and sustainment support in Sandston and other locations in the state.
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“Support to federal, state and local agencies is a routine mission for the Virginia National Guard when our forces are not employed in overseas operations,” said Col. James Ring, Virginia National Guard director of operations. “The 57th Presidential Inauguration presents a good opportunity for utilization of National Guard forces in support of local, state and federal domestic operations.”
Approximately 130 Soldiers from the Manassas-based 266th Military Police Company and about 140 Soldiers from the Virginia Beach-based 229th Military Police Company weree sworn in and will support U. S. Secret Service and Washington, D. C. police with security and traffic control in the vicinity of the inauguration parade route. Soldiers from the Staunton-based Detachment 1 of the 266th MP Company, Fredericksburg-based Headquarters Company, 116th Brigade Special Troops Battalion and Airmen from the 192nd Security Forces Squadron from Langley Air Force Base will also assist with operations in Washington, D. C.
About 90 Soldiers from the Leesburg-based Company C, 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team will assist Virginia State Police and Arlington Police with security operations and crowd management in the Northern Virginia area.
Eight Soldiers and Airmen from the Virginia National Guard Joint Force Headquarters in Sandston will provide communications capability with the Joint Incident Site Communications Capability. The JISCC assists with mission command communications by providing high-bandwidth communications, satellite IP connectivity and radio-frequency network interoperability.
Four chaplains and chaplain assistants will also be in Washington, D. C. to provide religious and counseling support for all personnel operating in the area.
The Virginia National Guard trains to be a premier ready, relevant, resilient and rapidly responding operational force capable of executing the orders of the President of the United States and the Governor of Virginia. Since September 11, 2001, more than 15,000 Soldiers and Airmen have mobilized on federal active duty for combat operations, peacekeeping, and homeland security missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo and other locations around the world. Since 2001, the Virginia Guard has called up more than 7,300 personnel for state active duty to support state and local emergency response organizations as part of a coordinated state-wide response, as well as missions in Louisiana, Mississippi, West Virginia, New York and Vermont.
I think this is a great time for citizens to actually SEE what our Army National Guard (MP units mostly) actually do and stand for our Country. They are not just “weekend” Soldiers ~ they are real Soldiers, many of which have served in Iraq & Afganistan, gone to help when Katrina hit, among many other disasters which have happened in the last year or so.
I know this first hand, as my 35-yr. old son who is a Sgt. now, whose been in the Guard for 11 yrs., has served in Iraq twice is in DC this weekend to march in the Parade, or could at the spur of a moment be directed to do something else. All of our Guard members in DC & around our Country &/or are in the Middle East should be commended for everything they do for our Country!!! THANK YOU NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS!!!
From a mom!!!