Photo By Staff Sgt. Michaela Granger | U.S. Army Pfc. Chance Fanta with the 191st Military Police Company, North Dakota...... read more read more
Guardsmen with the 816th Military Police (MP) Company, supplemented by about 60 Soldiers from the 191st MP Company and six staff members of the 131st Military Police Battalion, began preparations for the mission at the Raymond J. Bohn armory in Bismarck, N.D. on Jan. 13, 2021. Once the unit was assembled, equipment gathered, orders processed and mandatory briefings received, Maj. Gen. Al Dohrmann, N.D. adjutant general, spoke with the Soldiers.
This military police unit specializes in crowd control and civil disturbance response in support of civilian law enforcement authorities. In the past few years, the North Dakota National Guard has activated its military police units several times to capitalize on their abilities. As a result, many Soldiers had the hands-on experience needed for this mission.
The N.D. National Guard, in conjunction with Montana and Rhode Island Army National Guard military police units, partnered to train over 1,000 Guardsmen from Guam, Kansas, Michigan, and Vermont in civil disturbance response measures. Most of the Soldiers trained were not military police and had never participated in a civil disturbance response mission. The training focused on crowd control and maintaining control if a disturbance breaks out. Training included forming a crowd-control line, maneuvering as a group, properly employing the transparent shield for crowd control and self-defense, and using a baton to dissuade attacks.
“These Soldiers have been challenged over the last year with many different situations,” said Capt. Justin Huber, commander, 816th Military Police Company. “To have this many motivated Soldiers volunteer to do perform these challenging missions is just top-notch. I think it says something about our National Guard, our Armed Forces, and our emergency responders as a whole.”
On the day of the inauguration, the 816th Military Police Company served as a stand-by force. The unit staged at a distance from the Capitol, ready to deploy in minutes to support first-line defense units if the need arose.
The following day, the 816th Military Police Company moved to its next mission, conducting presence patrols around the Thomas Jefferson building, one of the four buildings of the Library of Congress. Presence patrols maintain security and are a non-aggressive way to dissuade attacks or any other illegal activity. The Soldiers worked in shifts, resting inside the Thomas Jefferson building between shifts.
The N.D. Guard Soldiers conducted security missions until Jan. 23, 2021. when they received orders to return home. The Soldiers departed Joint Base Andrews by military aircraft on Jan. 24, 2021.
This successful mission saw the North Dakota Soldiers live up to the U.S. Army Military Police motto - "Assist. Protect. Defend." Altogether, about 150 N.D. National Guard Soldiers, including 20 members of the 81st Civil Support Team, served in the nation’s capitol during the 59th Presidential Inauguration.
| Date Taken: | 01.20.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 03.08.2024 10:46 |
| Story ID: | 465706 |
| Location: | WASHINGTON D.C., DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 45 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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