Photo By Master Sgt. Tamara Dabney | U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class James Van Mameren, member of the 143rd Military Police...... read more read more
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As dusk settled over Washington, D.C., Sgt. 1st Class James Van Mameren, acting platoon sergeant assigned to the 143rd Military Police Company, scanned the area around his security checkpoint. Van Mameren was one of nearly 300 National Guard members activated by Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont to go to Washington, D.C. to provide support for the 59th Presidential Inauguration. His job was to protect people and property, while supporting the First Amendment right of people to peaceably assemble. Van Mameren had never been on a mission quite like this, but he was prepared to do his job.
“We're here to do a job,” said Van Mameren. “We all signed up to do this. So, we're fulfilling our duties in the eyes of the Governor of Connecticut, supporting the rest of the nation and making sure we keep our people safe.”
With less than 24 hours before the 59th Presidential Inauguration, the sidewalks around Van Mameren’s post were nearly devoid of pedestrians. Thousands of people who would have traveled to the city for the inauguration were prohibited from attending the event due to COVID-19 prevention measures. Furthermore, security barricades were set up around capitol hill in preparation for a potential civil disturbance. As far as Van Mameren could see from his post, the environment was peaceful, a calm that would continue through inauguration day.
There were reportedly no instances of civil disturbance at any of the four checkpoints that were guarded by members of the 143rd before, during or after the inauguration. According to Maj. James Locke, 143rd Military Police Company Commander, 143rd soldiers did not expect to encounter civil disturbances, though they prepared for such circumstances.
“Obviously, we were prepared for the worst,” said Locke. “We weren't necessarily expecting it. I was hoping that things would be as quiet as they’ve been.”
More than 26,000 National Guard members from across the U.S. were mobilized to provide security in the days leading up to, during and after the inauguration. While the Guard regularly conducts civil disturbance control training and such missions are not uncommon, the Guard’s domestic operations capabilities are most often used to provide relief after natural disasters. Both Locke and Van Mameren had previously deployed in support of hurricane relief, but neither had been on a mission like the one at the Capitol.
“I’ve never supported anything like this,” said Locke, who has served more than 18 years in the Connecticut Army National Guard. “On one mission I did, we supported relief operations during Hurricane Irene where we had LMT [Light Medium Tactical] vehicles that have a high ground clearance that we used to rescue people from flood waters. Something like this- operating security checkpoints in support of an inauguration- I've never done anything close to this.”
Van Mameren, who has served in the Connecticut Army National Guard for 15 years, was mobilized to provide relief after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. He never expected to be in Washington, alongside Guardsmen from across the nation, to provide security for a presidential inauguration, he said.
“I did not expect to be doing something like this,” said Van Mameren. “I thought we were mostly used for storm response or for things back home in Connecticut. But the nation called, and they needed people in the National Guard from all across the country to come here and help do a mission.”
In addition to the 143rd, the Connecticut Guard sent members assigned to the 141st Medical Company and the 1109th Theater Aviation Sustainment Maintenance Group to support the inauguration. The 141st provided frontline medical support while the 1109th worked with other units to coordinate logistics.
As with COVID-19 and natural disaster relief efforts, the citizen-soldiers of the Connecticut National Guard will remain activated in Washington for as long as deemed necessary.
“Our primary responsibility is to the American citizens,” said Locke. Most of the soldiers have full-time jobs, just like anybody else you spot on the street, when they're not in uniform. But for right now, their job is to be here to protect people.”
| Date Taken: | 01.22.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 01.22.2021 20:17 |
| Story ID: | 387447 |
| Location: | WASHINGTON, DC, US |
| Web Views: | 419 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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