S.C. Guard to provide support at Trump’s inauguration

About 30 soldiers of the South Carolina National Guard will provide security at President-elect Donald Trump’s Inauguration.

Soldiers from the Guard’s 59th Troop Command will help with crowd management along the National Mall, said S.C. Guard spokeswoman Capt. Jessica Donnelly. The inauguration is Jan. 20.

The South Carolina soldiers will join more than 7,500 U.S. Army and Air Guard members from about 40 states and territories who will be serving during the ceremony. The temporary unit is called Joint Task Force-District of Columbia.

“The D.C. National Guard is the lead agency and they requested our support and support from the other Guard units,” Donnelly said.

The South Carolina National Guard has previously supported presidential inaugurations, including the past two for President Barack Obama, she said.

“For those events, it was primarily general support, such as the crowd management and traffic control, but they have also provided communications support in the past,” Donnelly said.

The South Carolina soldiers come from various areas of the state, she said. The soldiers are driving up as a unit on Jan.17 and returning Jan. 22.

The soldiers will be doing general service support rather than police work, Donnelly said, but won’t know where they will be on the mall until they get there.

“This support ensures that the hundreds of thousands of expected spectators will be able to move around smoothly and safely before, during and after the inauguration events,” Donnelly said. “The National Guard routinely performs these types of missions during major events and is able to seamlessly integrate with inter-agency partners.”

She noted that military support by Guard members dates back to 1798 when Gen. George Washington began his inaugural journey from Mount Vernon, Va., to New York City. Local militias (the forerunners of the National Guard) joined his procession as it passed through towns along the route.

Once Washington arrived in New York City, a presidential escort composed of members of the regular Army, local militia units and Revolutionary War veterans accompanied him to Federal Hall for the presidential oath.

“The National Guard has continued this tradition of inaugural support ever since and we are honored to support the 58th Presidential Inauguration,” Donnelly said.

This story was originally published January 3, 2017 at 5:03 PM with the headline "S.C. Guard to provide support at Trump’s inauguration."