WASHINGTON, D.C. — As National Guard troops from across the country arrive in Washington, D.C., the District of Columbia Medical Detachment (MED DET) establishes a medical trailer on base to provide critical care and support for the growing force.
“This trailer is set up to provide medical assistance to anyone supporting this mission,” explained U.S. Army 1st Lt. Isaac Tabi, a physician assistant with the D.C. National Guard.
“We have a concentration of Soldiers here. It made sense to place medical assistance where the Soldiers are.”
The trailer is set up to treat troops who’ve converged the nation’s capital. Here, Soldiers can find more than just treatment for injuries or illnesses; they can find reassurance, support, and morale boost throughout long days while on mission.
“All the Soldiers going into the city, they’re coming here first,” said Spc. Dante Flores, a combat Medic with the D.C. National Guard, “making the extra trip to the Armory was inconvenient. Now, being here, they see ‘Oh, medical’s right there, let’s stop by’. We’ve definitely seen a lot more patients than before. It's a better central location for everybody now”.
Due to the growing number of service members activated for this mission, they gather and deploy from Joint Base Anacostia Bolling, where they can grab meals, get daily briefs, and access the medical center.
Inside the trailer, medics provide everything from routine sick calls and emergency treatment, to writing medical profiles. In addition to managing work from the trailer twice per day, medics also travel into the city to check in on service members posted at various locations.
“We bring our aid bags, [electrolytes], supplies, and just check up on them,”. said Flores.
“It’s interesting because it gives us perspectives to both sides of the mission. You can easily get cozy here in the trailer, but then going out into the city, you see firsthand what Soldiers are dealing with for eight hours on a daily basis”.
The Soldiers’ mission often means standing guard and patrolling in high-traffic areas for hours in places areas such as the National Mall or at various metro stations around the city. For many, the challenge is not only physical but mental.
“We also go out there to provide behavior support,” Tabi said.“We check on the Soldiers and ask how their days are going, what inconveniences they may face, or things that might be on their minds.”
Flores added that the MED DET often partners with chaplains on their outings. “As this mission goes on, behavioral health becomes way more important. [...] It cheers them up when they can joke around with us for a little bit.”
Like many other Soldiers on this mission, Tabi and Flores are balancing their National Guard duties with their full-time civilian lives.
Tabi works as a research behavioral technician and is currently taking classes part-time, in pursuit of going to medical school. His faith and entrepreneurial mindset keep him motivated.
“I’m currently writing a book that will provide knowledge to people on how to join the Army as an officer and balance the Army, school, and life,” he said.
Flores is newly married and preparing for his CPA exams. On the civilian side, he is an international tax accountant, a Green Bay Packers fan, and a fashion enthusiast.
“I just got married on August 1, my one month of being married was yesterday, actually.”
He shared his concerns about finding work while taking time off to take his CPA exam.
“So I was actually really stressed about that,” he expressed, “And then we got our orders. I'm like, ‘oh, great’, and I can go and start work again.”
Both Soldiers rely on their faith, which keeps them grounded, gives them a peace of mind and is the pillar of both their lives.
“I rely on God for strength and guidance,” Tabi said. “I don’t really have a blueprint, it’s more inspiration. Like my dream before this activation, which prepared me in a way I couldn’t have imagined. Everything I do is through Him.”
Tabi shared an interesting anecdote that has helped him prepare for the mission, a sign that came to him in a dream while planning a trip back home, in Nigeria.
“In the dream, I was there [in Nigeria] and got a call from my unit saying we were activated. I said, ‘I can’t come back now, my flight isn’t for two or three weeks.”
He recalls his dream being so vivid that, unusually, he remembered every detail.
“So, when I actually planned my trip, I made sure to be back in the U.S. by August. And sure enough, in August, I returned, went to drill, and right after that, we got activated. [...] it felt like my dream prepared me. I took it as God’s way of telling me to plan ahead”.
Flores recognizes that most soldiers are already in a vulnerable position because they're away from home and when they need to be evaluated for a medical issue, such as being sick or injured, it can be an additional stressor.
“Being [a soldier in sick call] overall is a very vulnerable position to be in,” Flores notes.
“Keeping that in mind and then going forward [...] we understand that all of these things are going on, you have a lot of stress on you. ‘What can we do to help?’ That makes it a lot more fulfilling, too, knowing that we're helping people.
The District of Columbia National Guard Medical Detachment are a part of the 2,300 National Guard members supporting the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission providing critical support to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department in ensuring the safety of all who live, work and visit the District.
| Date Taken: |
09.03.2025 |
| Date Posted: |
09.18.2025 10:44 |
| Story ID: |
547656 |
| Location: |
WASHINGTON , DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: |
216 |
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This work, District of Columbia National Guard Medical Detachment provides critical care, by SGT Sherald McAulay, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
