Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Jonathan Pietrantoni | Soldiers of the New York Army National Guard's 104th Military Police Battalion, march...... read more read more
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Deploying to Washington for a presidential inauguration was nothing new for the New York Army National Guard’s 104th Military Police Battalion, which sent 282 Soldiers to the nation’s Capitol on January 8.
They were among 1,300 New York Army and Air National Guard Soldiers, and 25,000 Guard members overall who helped secure the 2021 inauguration of President Joe Biden.
In 2009, 104th MP Soldiers were there for the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
“But we did a very different mission during that inauguration,” said the 104th Military Police Battalion Command Sergeant Major, Command Sgt. Maj. Morgan Cady.
The battalion’s Soldiers directed traffic and helped with crowd control as a record-number of spectators flooded Washington to see the swearing in of America’s first African American president.
But in 2021, in the wake of the January 6 riot at the United States Capitol and in the middle of a global pandemic, the mission was to protect government buildings and limit travel in the Capitol area.
The 2009 inauguration mission was roughly a three-day operation, whereas the current mission had a greater security threat level and is ongoing of nearly 20 days, 104th MP Soldiers said.
“The reason for this mission is quite different,” said Maj. John Fitzpatrick, the Executive Officer of the 104th MP BN. “There was a security threat level that was higher this time than last.”
Fitzpatrick attributes the 104th MPs cohesion and success on their latest mission to previous missions and deployments.
“The common thread between the two inauguration missions are the teams that were built culminating in 2009, and now culminating with the team that was built here in 2021,” Fitzpatrick said.
The group of 104th MPs that deployed to southern Iraq in 2007 to 2008, was also the group that conducted traffic and crowd control in Washington, D.C. four months after their redeployment, he said.
Similarly, the team that was built for a training exercise in Poland, which was then canceled due to COVID-19, became the same team that deployed to the Javits Center in Manhattan, N.Y., for COVID-19 response, and has now deployed to Washington, D.C. for inaugural support, Fitzpatrick explained.
“Although the team was built for different missions, they were able to execute efficiently after working together very closely, Fitzpatrick said. “It was a competent, well-built, well-trained team that was able to conduct all missions.”
“All of them were extremely willing to come in,” Cady said.
While the 104th MP Soldiers came home the last week in January, 7,000 Guardsmen will remain in the Capitol region well into March, according to the National Guard Bureau. This includes 542 from the New York Army National Guard’s 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
Still, there was history being made 12 years after the last time the 104th was in Washington.
In 2009 the history was the inauguration of the first African-American President.
This year it was the inauguration of Kamala Harris who was both the first African-American Vice President and the first female Vice President.
“It really is amazing to be a part of another historic event in our nation’s history,” said Staff Sgt. Brenden Conklin, 104th MP BN Operations NCO, who was also present for the 2009 inauguration mission.
“Moments like these show you how far our country has come,” Conklin said.
“The things that we’ve been capable to do in this battalion never cease to surprise me,” Cady Said. “They did a great job and kept morale, with great understanding of what they’re doing…they managed to secure a peaceful transition of power.”
| Date Taken: | 01.27.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 01.27.2021 13:12 |
| Story ID: | 387707 |
| Location: | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 122 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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