Guard troops will wear special patch at inauguration to make clear they're not police

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: 6ABC WPVI-TV/AP

Saturday, January 18, 2025 8:49PM


WASHINGTON -- When thousands of National Guard forces and law enforcement officers locked down Washington during racial protests and the Jan. 6 riot four years ago, the blur of camouflage and helmets made it nearly impossible to tell the difference between cops and troops.

This year's inauguration will be different.

National Guard leaders have authorized the use of a special shoulder patch with the Guard motto "Always Ready, Always There," to ensure that people coming to the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on Monday will know who is who. "It is to make sure it's easier to identify who's participating for the National Guard," said Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard II, adjutant general of the Washington, D.C., Guard.

The patch, he added, will "connect each of the participants from the National Guard back to the mission set, back to what they're doing and the importance of participating in this peaceful transition." The new red, white and blue patch also depicts a minuteman, long a symbol of the Guard that harkens back to the Revolutionary War. The key, said Army Col. Larry Doane, a senior Guard leader, was to provide a visible way to distinguish the troops.


An Army National Guard soldier displays an American flag and the distinctive patch worn by personnel supporting the upcoming inauguration at Joint Base Andrews, Md. Jan. 14, 2025.
Tech. Sgt. Andrew Enriquez/U.S. Air National Guard via AP

Read more: https://6abc.com/post/national-guard-troops-will-wear-special-patch-inauguration-make-clear-not-police/15814634/

[Lovie777]

1. Anybody can get that...............

[C_U_L8R]

2. Moot point now.

Appropriate for the occasion, the National Mall will be a frozen wasteland, devoid of intelligent life.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. I don't think it's moot despite there being no "outdoor" inauguration at the Capitol

There are STILL events/protests, etc going on there, parallel with the MLK "Day of Service" commemoration.

[EarthFirst]

3. Years ago before we militarized our law enforcement agencies...

…there was a clear distinction who was a cop and who is a military service member.

[bucolic_frolic]

4. Odd how these troops were absent when Trump wanted a Capitol insurrection.

Guess it's not what you know or who you know, but what you want when your a billionaire fat cat.

[Think. Again.]

6. That patch is probably the least visible way...

...to distinguish cops from military in a crowd situation.

I suspect the patch is just for plausible deniability purposes after the fact.

[Oopsie Daisy]

7. Velcro on. Velcro off. Velcro on again.

It's a political button that can be worn and removed with such ease. Plausible denials, indeed. You've nailed it.

[Farmer-Rick]

8. If it is a peaceful transfer of power

Why do they even need National Guard troops there????