NATIONAL GUARD IN D.C. FORCED TO SLEEP IN PARKING GARAGE

                    …National Guard soldiers in a DC Senate garage Thursday night.

More than 10,000 National Guard personnel remain on duty in D.C.

It is disgusting that thousands of National Guard members were forced out of a U.S. Capitol cafeteria resting area and into a parking garage nearby.  This move was putting them in close quarters with moving cars, exhaust fumes and troops potentially infected with the coronavirus.

The abrupt transfer came with no explanation.  Images of National Guard members sleeping on concrete sparked outrage and an apparent reversal later in the night.  All this, as lawmakers later said the service members would be moved back to the Capitol.

The soldiers said they were not given a reason for the initial transfer.  But defense officials said Capitol police moved the Guard members off the grounds as foot traffic from lawmakers and other officials increased in the area.

The reason for all this is that the Guard members have hotel rooms in which to sleep.  But the soldiers are on duty for a day or two at a time, working shifts a few hours at a time.  They cannot easily return to their hotels, many of which are in Virginia and Maryland.  So they nap wherever they can.  That means on concrete floors, indoor tennis courts or on carpeted floors.

Two soldiers estimated hundreds of troops were moved to the garage as the officials struggle to find places to put thousands of service members.  Nearly 26,000 National Guard members arrived after the Jan 6 Capitol riot to help secure the presidential inauguration. More than 10,000 remain on duty, while 15,000 others were slated to return home in the coming days, defense officials said.

“I’ve ordered the immediate return of all New Hampshire National Guard from Washington DC. They did an outstanding job serving our nation’s capital in a time of strife and should be graciously praised, not subject to substandard conditions,” New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said, though it is unclear if troops from his state were already slated to return.

The two soldiers, who are noncommissioned officers in the Maryland National Guard, said troops inhaled exhaust fumes, shared few toilets with hundreds of soldiers and struggled to sleep under the harsh fluorescent lights in the garages.

“I’ve never in my entire career felt like I’ve been booted onto the curb and told, ‘Figure it out on your own,’ ” said one of the soldiers, who said he served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with reporters.

“This is absurd,” said the other soldier, who said one of his men was nearly struck by a car.

One member from the Wisconsin National Guard said they have rested in the garage between their shifts for days. It is uncomfortable, but there are not many places to easily put thousands of soldiers in the District of Columbia.

Lawmakers, in response to news stories from Politico and other news outlets, channeled outrage on Twitter.  Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.), an Army veteran who served in Iraq, said Thursday night the Guard members were sent back to the Capitol complex.  Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), also an Army veteran who served in Iraq, said Capitol police officers apologized to the troops.

Both Maryland soldiers said austere quarters are realities of the profession.   But these conditions, they said, unnecessarily hamstring their duties. Their spaces have few electrical outlets to charge smartphones, they said, which are used for mission planning and to keep in contact with one another.

“As Congress is in session and increased foot traffic and business is being conducted, U.S. Capitol Police asked the troops to move their rest area outside of the Capitol. They were temporarily relocated to the Thurgood Marshall Judicial Center garage with heat and restroom facilities,” said Capt. Edwin Nieves Jr., a D.C. National Guard spokesman.

However, one portable toilet used by soldiers was overflowing onto the sidewalk.  

Both of the Maryland soldiers said the coronavirus is raging among National Guard members.  One even said he personally knows several soldiers who have been infected.

The soldier laughed when asked by a reporter to describe the protocols in place to mitigate the spread of the virus.  “There’s none,” he said. “We are on top of each other all day, every day. We’ve given up.”

Capt. Nieves did not immediately return a request for comment about coronavirus protocols.

Some lawmakers offered their offices in the wake of viral photos of Guard members on concrete floors.

“Yeah this is not okay,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) tweeted. “My office is free this week to any service members who’d like to use it for a break or take nap on the couch. We’ll stock up on snacks for you all too.”

But one of the soldiers said he doubted the motivations of politicians eager to score public relations wins, noting that lawmakers were happy to take photos of themselves delivering pizza after photos of sleeping soldiers in the Capitol went viral.

“Now I feel like a wet paper towel,” he said. “You wiped me down and threw me away.”

This whole thing makes me embarrassed for all those National Guards men and women.

Copyright G. Ater 2021