An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Articles
News | Feb. 23, 2021

Up Close at the 59th Presidential Inauguration

By AIR FORCE TECH. SGT. RYAN CAMPBELL 158th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

Many of us came out of 2020 expecting 2021 would start to show a light at the end of the tunnel. However, within the first week of January things went horribly sideways.

I remember missing out on documenting the 2016 inauguration, but this time 25,000 National Guardsmen would converge on Washington D.C. to provide extra security in order to ensure a peaceful transition of power. The imagery that came of it became pretty surreal to see and even more surreal to capture.

Driving from my home in New York on Jan. 15, I wasn’t quite sure what I would be seeing. My first sight was what seemed like hundreds of Guardsmen in front of the D.C. armory, with the front lawn being more like a parking lot for Humvees.

Each day was spent tracking media requests from outlets like CNN, Fox News, Bloomberg, Military Times, all wanting to know what we were doing. I spent the first full day exploring the Capitol Hill area, fully surrounded by miles of fencing.

Roads that normally would be full of traffic, and buildings that would be full of visitors and tourists were now made as an almost temporary home for the Guardsmen on duty, to take a break and relax during long shifts. Inside the capitol building, cots were neatly laid out while outside the massive flags to set the backdrop for the inauguration were being hung.

Getting a tour of the Capitol from a Capitol Police officer, I saw damage to the building that was still present, while at the same time TV cameras and lights were being set up to capture the ceremony that was just a few days away.

There was constant action, no matter if it was middle of the day or middle of the night. Through all of this, life continued outside of the fenced off areas, with the local citizens seeming more curious about the National Guard being there than anything else.

Rehearsal for the inauguration was on a Monday and with stand-ins for all the participants, it was easy to get up close to it. I ended up on the inaugural stage, probably the only time I will ever do such a thing.

Things seemed to run very smoothly around the capitol, the Guardsmen didn’t seem to find themselves part of anything other than the routine nature of their mission. All in all, people were alert yet at ease with how things were going.

Seeing the inauguration ceremony itself was incredible, even though access to the Capitol grounds was not possible during the ceremony. Despite watching it from the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial across the street, I was still there seeing it, which normally would not be such a profound thing.

Except this time, spectators were not allowed into the area to watch. While the National Mall would normally be full of people, this time it was turned into a “field of flags” with thousands of flags from all states and territories creating an impressive display.

In the end, there was a peaceful 59th presidential inauguration. The imagery that came from it is monumental, the first time the military encamped in the nation’s capitol since the Civil War.

To document the experiences of the Airmen and Soldiers that came down here is definitely up there as a career highlight. It had been many years since I was last in Washington, D.C. and what a time to come back. To be that up close to seeing the wheels turn that make such an impressive event happen was remarkable.

Even more remarkable were the Guardsmen who helped ensure it all happened successfully.

The official logo of the Vermont National Guard.

TAG's State of the Guard - April 2025

The above YouTube video link may not work on all government computers. Read the transcript of MG Gregory Knight's full State of the Guard here.

National Guard News
A UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter assigned to the New York National Guard's A Company, 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation, prepares to lift an M-117 howitzer belonging to the 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery during a training exercise at Fort Drum, New York on June 8, 2025. The 258th Field Artillery's C Battery will be part of a 246-Soldier New York Army National Guard contingent serving as the Opposing Force, or OPFOR, at the National Training Center from July 25 to August 3.
NY Army Guard Serves as Opposing Force at Training Center
By Eric Durr, | July 15, 2025
LATHAM, N.Y.  –  Two hundred forty-six New York Army National Guard Soldiers will go to Fort Irwin, California, the home of the Army’s National Training Center in the Mojave Desert, starting July 15.The Soldiers will serve...

Gen. Steven Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau, Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines III, SEA to the chief of the National Guard Bureau, Maj. Gen. Janeen Birckhead, the Adjutant General of Maryland and Command Sgt. Maj. David C. Harry, senior enlisted leader of the Maryland Army National Guard, pose for a photo with competitors in the Army National Guard’s 2025 Best Warrior Competition on July 12, 2025, at Under Armour Headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland. The Army National Guard’s 2025 National Best Warrior Competition, hosted by the Maryland National Guard, is an annual event that unites Soldiers and Noncommissioned Officers from seven regions across the United States. Competitors face a demanding series of physical and mental challenges designed to test their military expertise, resilience, and dedication to the Warrior Ethos for the opportunity to advance to Best Squad Competition.
Army Guard’s 2025 National Best Warrior Competition Begins
By Sgt. 1st Class Brandon Ames, | July 15, 2025
BALTIMORE — The Army National Guard’s 2025 National Best Warrior Competition officially kicked off this week in Maryland, bringing together 14 elite Soldiers and noncommissioned officers from seven regions across the United...

An Oregon Army National Guard HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter, assigned to the 641st Aviation Regiment, conducts a search and rescue mission on July 13, 2025, in the caldera at Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. The same Black Hawk later in the day conducted a second rescue mission at Lake Harriett, Southeast of Crater Lake, when three hikers were injured from a falling tree limb.
Oregon Guard Responds to Multiple Search and Rescue Missions
By John Hughel, | July 15, 2025
SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon Army National Guard’s 641st Aviation Regiment worked with several agency partners to respond to multiple search and rescue operations in one day across the state during its scheduled Inactive Duty...