WASHINGTON – District of Columbia Guardmembers provided support to the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Capitol Police and local first responders last night during President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, Guard officials reported.
Army 2nd Lt. Miranda Summers, a public affairs officer with the D.C. Guard, said the “Capitol Guardians” provided 170 Army Guard and five Air Guard personnel.
The soldiers were part of a Civil Support Team from the District, on standby to serve as quick-reaction force if needed.
In his State of the Union address, Obama highlighted some of the things that the U.S. military can expect over the next year regarding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“In Iraq, where nearly 100,000 of our brave men and women have left with their heads held high, American combat patrols have ended, violence is down, and a new government has been formed,” he said.
“This year, our civilians will forge a lasting partnership with the Iraqi people while we finish the job of bringing our troops out of Iraq,” Obama said.
“America’s commitment has been kept. The Iraq war is coming to an end.”
Obama spoke also about the progress that has been made in Afghanistan.
“In Afghanistan, our troops have taken Taliban strongholds and trained Afghan security forces,” he said.
“Thanks to our heroic troops and civilians, fewer Afghans are under the control of the insurgency.
“There will be tough fighting ahead ... but we are strengthening the capacity of the Afghan people and building an enduring partnership with them, and this July we will begin to bring our troops home.”
A day after he announced unprecedented government-wide strengthening of military family support, Obama echoed the same massage last night.
“Tonight, let us speak with one voice in reaffirming that our nation is united in support of our troops and their families,” he said.
“Let us serve them as well as they’ve served us – by giving them the equipment they need, by providing them with the care and benefits that they have earned, and by enlisting our veterans in the great task of building our own nation.”