The Massachusetts National Guard Supports the 59th POTUS Inauguration
By MAJ Dave Falvey, MAARNG G-5 Plans Officer and VAFCC Member
January 6th was not a good day for our country, nor our republic. The angry mob that stormed the capitol and threatened violence on elected officials certifying the presidential election results cast doubt on our country’s ability to safely transfer power to a new administration. When I received the call asking if I was available to support the 182nd Infantry Regiment for their security mission for the inauguration, I knew it was the opportunity of a lifetime, with the mission itself being the purest example of the military’s role in supporting and defending the Constitution. It was a remarkable experience I’d like to share with members of the First Corps of Cadets.
My role with the 182nd was to serve as the MP liaison, interfacing with the Capitol Police and ensuring the MA Air National Guard’s 104th Security Forces Squadron was employed properly. I departed for DC as part of the advance party the Friday prior to the inauguration, without knowing much beyond that our mission was to secure the House of Representatives office buildings and surrounding area and that the Joint Reception Staging Onward Movement and Integration (JRSOI) area was at the DC National Guard’s JFHQ at the DC Armory. Upon arriving, there were a litany of stations for units checking in to pass through, such as getting lodging assigned, getting our task organization, finding out what administrative requirements existed, how Soldiers would be credentialed as civilian police officers, where equipment could be stored, and how to traverse a heavily secured city. It was briefed to us that our Soldiers would be scattered around DC-area hotels within a 25 mile radius, which created logistical challenges amplified given the amount of roadblocks. How would we get Soldiers to and from their shifts? What became clear immediately and was true throughout our time in DC was that this was roughly 25,000 Soldiers activated at the drop of a hat improvising on the spot in a variety of ways in a very unique, high-visibility environment. There is no playbook for a mission like this.
The 182nd was task organized under Task Force (TF) Capitol Grounds, led by the Maryland National Guard under a brigadier general. TF Capitol Grounds consisted of four teams: Team Senate (three senate office buildings and vicinity), Team House (three house office buildings and vicinity), Team SCOTUS (Supreme Court, Library of Congress, and vicinity), and Team Capitol (capitol building itself and vicinity). TF Capitol Grounds fell under JTF DC, which was led by the DC National Guard that had command of all national guard forces. As part of Team House, we were task organized under SC, and also had OH, LA, and RI with us. Upon arrival in the house area, we made our way into one of the house office buildings and found a series of interconnected ballrooms that OH had acquired and would serve as the TOCs for each of the units within Team House.
Although the DC Armory was offered up as a place for units to store and issue out weapons and equipment, logistically it did not make sense since it was several miles from the capitol. I can’t emphasize enough how challenging traversing the city was during this time, given the litany of roadblocks and checkpoints. GPS was useless and often times our credentials were not sufficient to get us quickly through checkpoints given how many different law enforcement agencies were manning various checkpoints. To avoid the additional stop of having to issue out equipment at the DC Armory, we did what other units that already arrived had done: we found space in the Cannon Office Building parking garage that provided a spot on-ground for Soldiers to get equipped, grab a quick bite to eat prior to shift, and relax while on break or just off shift until the bus came to drive them back to their respective hotels. Despite what you may hear elsewhere, all Soldiers had hotel rooms, versus garages being all Soldiers had for sleeping arrangements. The garages were all underground and heated, and served as a suitable alternative for storing and issuing weapons, versus doing so in the halls of the house office buildings themselves.
The mission itself was straightforward. Team House was divided into sectors between SC, OH, LA, and MA/RI and each operated their sector 24/7 in partnership with Capitol Police, with static points, roving patrols, and a quick reaction force (QRF). It became clear a few days into the mission that we were unlikely to face any large protests like what occurred on January 6th, and that such groups decided to stand down from such activity in the face of such a large contingency of national guardsmen. The greater concern was of lone wolves, and fortunately nothing materialized. There were a few scares, notably two days prior to the inauguration when U.S. Capitol complex was locked down for about an hour and the inauguration rehearsal quickly interrupted when a fire broke out nearby, with the cause not immediately not. Ultimately, it was determined the fire was caused by a homeless encampment that likely was using propane. A false alarm, but it showed the level of heightened awareness.
Given how fast things were moving in such a new environment, miscommunication was a big risk. I was tasked with serving as the Team House liaison to Task Force Capitol Ground, co-located with Capitol Police at their headquarters. After having been there thirty minutes, then-Secretary of the Army, Ryan McCarthy did a walkthrough with the TF Capitol Grounds Commander, BG Janeen Birckhead, and when I told him I lived in South Boston, he laughed and said Generals Milley and McConville, of Winchester and Quincy, respectively, would appreciate a Southie guy on the mission. It was a common theme while working in this location that VIPs would come through. Others included the acting SecDef and MD Governor Larry Hogan.
As we got closer to Inauguration Day, we knew there would a lockdown starting at 0400 that day that was going to create a challenge for us. We were not going to be able to get Soldiers to and from the capitol grounds the day of the Inauguration given the lockdown, which was needed to eliminate confusion and create the opportunity for infiltrators. Given how far out most Soldiers’ hotels were, the easy decision was for us all to sleep in our AO the night prior to the inauguration. Where exactly we were to sleep was the question. While wandering about, I came upon a facilities worker and I asked him if there was any way he would be amenable to opening up a few rooms in the building to allow Soldiers a place to sleep. Fortunately, he was First Sergeant in the Army Reserves and said he would oblige. Ultimately, he opened a whole slew of rooms for us, including the ‘Gold Room’ in the Rayburn Office Building where a whole bunch of us slept. It was directly across from the House Foreign Affairs Committee Room, which was open and we were able to admire. It was a surreal experience, waking up on the capitol grounds ready to support the 59th Presidential Inauguration.
A few key points that I would like to make regarding this experience that I would like to mention:
1) It didn’t matter which state it was, everyone was committed to the mission, highly motivated, and remained flexible in a very fluid environment. It says a lot about an organization that is spread throughout the country when it can come together at a moment’s notice and work together seamlessly, while having to come up with innovative solutions to new problems. It was a thing of beauty. The 182nd, specifically, performed tremendously, and I was extremely impressed with their leadership on down.
2) Covid was also naturally a factor in this mission. I was impressed with how seriously Soldiers took the necessary protocols, which were especially important given the sheer volume of Soldiers on a fairly small footprint. Wearing a mask makes a difference. With a young infant at home, I was diligent about masking up so as to not bring Covid home and was relieved that I didn’t.
3) Lastly, I thoroughly enjoyed working with the Capitol Police and it was clear how dearly they appreciated the National Guard’s support after what they went through on January 6th. I ran into a college ROTC classmate of mine on the capitol grounds that I didn’t even know was a Capitol Police officer. I asked him what it was like on January 6th and he said they were completely overwhelmed and that those he encountered “acted like animals.. like they forgot they were human.” And you could tell how much it hurt to have lost one of their own. There was also concern amongst Capitol Police officers I spoke with that January 6th may not be the end, and that events like impeachment could result in future violence. This is likely why the national guard presence in DC continues.
This was a mission I’ll tell my grandkids about one day, and I hope that’s the case not just because I hope I’m around long enough to tell them old war stories, but because I hope what happened January 6th was so out of the ordinary and rare that it never happens again.