The National Guard troops are finally leaving for home after being deployed for four months at the U.S. Capitol following the January 6 riot.
According to National Guard Bureau Sergeant 1st Class Whitney Hughes in a statement, the troop's mission to provide security and support to the U.S. Capitol officially ended Sunday, May 23.
While the National Guard Bureau Chief General Daniel Hokanson said they spoke about this mission when he testified in the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing last May 18. During which, the chief expressed his gratitude and admiration for those who guarded the U.S. Capitol grounds for the last four months.
"I'm proud of the Guardsmen and women who left their families and civilian jobs to serve as Soldiers and Airmen in response to the attack on the Capitol. Their selfless service is both important and inspiring," Hokanson stated.
Hokanson added that the "Joint Task Force District of Columbia involved 26,000 National Guardsmen at its peak, from every U.S. state and territory, to support the 59th Presidential Inauguration and "that the mobilization of Soldiers and Airmen from Guam to Maine was accomplished with organic National Guard air assets and logistical support."
Prior to deployment, the Federal Bureau of Investigation had to screen the National Guard Members in line with the inauguration day through background checks and counter-checking for safety and protection. Command Sgt. Major Michael Brooks said previously in an interview with One America Network News the guardsmen are provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be called "Capitol Guardians."
"But the D.C. National Guard is the only unit in the country, in the world, that calls themselves Capitol guardians. And for a brief moment of history, all 25,000 guardsmen that will be in the Capitol will be able to call themselves Capitol Guardians and I hope they cherish that as much as we do," Brooks said.
The originally deployed Guardsmen of 25,000 were later decreased to 5,000 after the inauguration to provide continued security in the area as support to the local police. This was further decreased to 2,200 Guardsmen come March 31 that included an "immediate reaction force" who conducted a "civil disturbance tactics training" while providing daily support to the U.S. Capitol Police at various entry points and patrols.
As per IRF Operations Officer Major Jessie Barnes, the training was very helpful since they were able to use it during an incident on April 2 where a man "rammed a security gate with his car" that injured an USCP officer and killed an USCP officer. The IRF that was assigned in the scene was able to respond to support the police within minutes.
The National Guard Bureau said the U.S. Capitol Police will now assume "full responsibility for Capitol security mission" as the troops "return to a traditional drilling status while supporting Guard elements from across the other 50 states, and three territories return to their home units under the authority of their governors."
The Blaze reported that Republicans have criticized the presence of the National Guard troops in the U.S. Capitol since they found it as an "unnecessary political operation" and a "strain on the component's capabilities across the country" that cost the government $500 million until mid-March alone as per Pentagon officials. While Democrats raised its necessity against alleged "security threats from right-wing actors upset over the results of the election."
Former President Donald Trump, on the other hand, said that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi actually rejected his offer to deploy the National Guard ahead of January 6 when the Save America Rally was scheduled to be held in the White House grounds and to proceed to the U.S. Capitol to peacefully ask the Congressmen not to certify the election results.
However, Pelosi, who had the authority to deploy the said guardsmen, made strict instructions not to do so that made the U.S. Capitol vulnerable when activists who infiltrated pro-Trump supporters rioted on the said day.
Previously, the Museum of the Bible gave free admission to the National Guardsmen last April as a token of appreciation for their service and to provide them as well a means to entertain themselves while in the U.S. Capitol.
