WASHINGTON — Two hundred Soldiers and Airmen from the District of Columbia National Guard volunteered to assist and augment Metropolitan Police, District Department of Transportation and Park Police at traffic control and metro points in assisting with crowd and traffic control here July 4, 2014.
D.C. National Guard Soldiers and Airmen began their day by being sworn in as special police and preparing vehicles and before gearing up to head out to the National Mall to assist local law enforcement. By early afternoon, troops left the staging area in a convoy of Humvees to get started on the mission.
With the help of Metropolitan Police, the convoy trailed through the city and designated points were manned in less than half an hour.
“DDOT kept good communication with us so everybody got to their points relatively easy,” said Staff Sgt. Kyle Bowmaster, a military policeman from the 273rd Military Police Company.
Staff Sgt. Bowmaster, along with Staff Sgt. William Rogers from the 273rd MP Company, are responsible for disseminating operational information to the lowest level and ensuring that each Soldier on the traffic control points understand their role in the mission.
“Already I can tell that the Soldiers are excited to be in the execution phase,” said Rogers.
Each year, thousands of people from around the world gather on the National Mall to see the Independence Day parade and fireworks display. This year’s crowd was larger than previous years.
“We’re excited to be out here to contribute to a safe and secure Independence Day celebration in and around the National Mall,” said Lt. Col. Quvator Joseph, task force commander, District of Columbia Army National Guard. “These troops are trained, equipped and ready to assist as needed.”
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama added to the festivities by having a special event honoring service members and their families on the south lawn of the White House. The event included a naturalization ceremony, a concert and remarks from the president.
By early evening, the National Mall and surrounding areas were full of Washingtonians, tourists and several military members waiting to see the main attraction, the fireworks display visible in some areas of the city several miles away.
The guardsmen remained at their traffic control points and metro points well into the night until the events came to a close. Despite the long hours, many guardsmen expressed their satisfaction with the outcome of the mission.
“It’s a wonderful way to interact with the community and serve our country at the same time. This is what I signed up for,” said Sgt. Roger Hughes, a military policeman from the 273rd MP Company. “This is my second year supporting the Fourth of July mission on traffic control points and I think that we are improving. The biggest difference is that we were able to use our military vehicles, which really made our presence known. I could tell that people felt safe.”