Members of the National Guard activated to support Monday’s presidential inauguration have been issued a special identification patch for the event, with the goal of making it easier to identify them as members of the Guard.
Thousands of National Guard troops active ahead of and during the Jan. 20 inauguration of Donald Trump will wear a bright and colorful shoulder patch. The Associated Press first reported on the decision. According to the D.C. National Guard on Instagram, the patch is being issued to make sure that anyone attending the event on Monday “will know who is who.”
The patch will sit below the American flag patch on the arm of the uniform. Like the flag patch, this one stands out thanks to bright red, white and blue design that contrasts with the camouflage pattern. It depicts a Revolutionary War minuteman standing in front of the U.S. Capitol. The words “60th Presidential Inauguration” and “Always ready, always there!” ring the design.
“It is to make sure it’s easier to identify who’s participating for the National Guard,” Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard II, adjutant general of the Washington, D.C. Guard, told the Associated Press.
One matter of confusion identified by the National Guard is the prevalence of similar camouflage uniforms worn by both military members and law enforcement agencies. Large numbers of people in similar gear during the 2020 racial justice protests and the wake of the insurrection at the Capitol in January 2021 led to difficulty in distinguishing organizations.
The National Guard did not immediately respond to questions regarding how much confusion there had been in prior events.
This year’s inauguration is seeing a much smaller National Guard presence than in 2021. That year roughly 25,000 troops were present, stemming in part from security concerns tied to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol days prior. This year, approximately 7,8000 troops from 40 states were activated to take part in the inauguration in the District of Columbia, the National Guard said. Some have been deputized as special police, but not all.
The distinctive patch is new this year, but the National Guard has tried other tactics in the past to try and distinguish itself from law enforcement. In January 2021, ahead of the certification of the 2020 election, the National Guard announced that soldiers would wear a black identification vest, with the words “U.S. Army” on the front along with their name and rank and “D.C. National Guard” on the back.
For the previous inauguration in 2021, the military approved a special Presidential Inauguration Support Ribbon for National Guard troops who participated in the event.
Due to a cold weather forecast, the actual inauguration is currently set to happen inside the U.S. Capitol rather than outside, as in prior events. It’s the first time in 40 years that the event won’t take place outside at the Capitol steps.
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