Pandemic and Unrest Fuel the Biggest National Guard Mobilization Since World War II

By Alex Horton, Washington Post

26 December 20

year defined by a wave of protests, wildfires and a deadly pandemic brought a milestone for the National Guard, which activated more troops for duty than at any time since World War II, officials said.

Tens of thousands of Guardsmen were mobilized in all 50 states, three territories and Washington, logging more than 8.4 million duty days this year, according to National Guard data. The bulk of efforts has focused on the coronavirus pandemic, with roles in administering tests, distributing protective equipment and in some cases, retrieving the dead.

In interviews, Guardsmen described their work in ways as varied as their missions, from pride in helping neighbors in crisis to frustrations over bureaucratic hurdles.

Others said they felt conflicted over missions to help quell civil unrest after the police killing of George Floyd in May sparked demonstrations nationwide.

Jason Robertson, a noncommissioned officer in the California National Guard, was activated in early April to help support food bank operations after demand surged. Soldiers packaged produce, distributed canned goods and gave logistics tips to food bank workers.

Soldiers who could not return home nightly because they lived too far from the site were put up in hotels for weeks, he said. But a tangible mission to assist people in need helped alleviate stress, Robertson said, and bolstered a sense of purpose when many of his civilian colleagues were self-isolating.

“I’m very grateful for getting called up for that,” he said.

Some of the missions did not run smoothly. In North Carolina, amid concerns hospitals would be overwhelmed, a task force of about 40 soldiers from an engineer unit supported a mission in April to survey sites for a temporary field hospital. The soldiers would design and construct a facility if needed.

The National Guard has deep experience in working with government agencies in emergencies such as hurricanes, but rarely has had to coordinate with private health-care officials, said a soldier in the North Carolina National Guard with knowledge of the operation.

“A hospital CEO just has what he sees on TV about Javits to go by,” the soldier said, referring to a field hospital that was set up in New York this spring when cases in the city exploded. “We built the plane in flight, more or less.”

Talks broke down after staffing questions for the field hospital arose. Medical staff from the Guard couldn’t be pulled from their duties to fill those roles, said the soldier, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the media.

Soldiers on the mission experienced other frustrations, including too few computers with necessary software, according to the soldier.

Ultimately, the hospital was not built after hospitals concluded they could handle the demand. But the soldiers salvaged the effort by collecting a book of best practices that could be helpful in another pandemic.

Guard activations rose sharply in the summer following the death of Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. The single busiest day of the year was June 8, with 86,400 mobilized Guardsmen fanned out across the country. About half of them were on civil disturbance missions, according to National Guard data.

Tension within the Guard over its role to bolster police spilled into public view on May 30. Khaled Abdelghany, a Black soldier in the D.C. Guard, was shown on video emotionally mouthing the protest chant “I’m Black and I’m proud” in a moment that went viral.

“We were conflicted, we were in pain, we were feeling every emotion,” Abdelghany told The Washington Post, referring to himself and other minority service members. “I’m a Black man before I put the uniform on.”

The Guard’s image, which has improved since the dark days of the Kent State killings in 1970, was tested the next day. Federal police, backed by D.C. National Guardsmen, fired pepper balls and rubber pellets at protesters in Lafayette Square outside the White House.

Hours later, a pair of D.C. Army Guard helicopters descended as low as 45 feet over demonstrators in an apparent effort to disperse them, prompting a backlash and an investigation by the D.C. Guard.

The fallout was immediate in some corners of the force. Some Guardsmen turned down voluntary call-ups for civil unrest support because they didn’t want to be associated with potential violence, an Army officer in the National Guard said.

“It’s a hard thing to do when you say you’re up for every mission,” said the officer, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the media. Some leaders recommended that soldiers not wear their uniforms while traveling for military duty to avoid confrontations with civilians, the officer said.

Other Guardsmen were heartened by moments in which they connected with protesters in an effort to distinguish themselves from police. In Nashville, guardsmen laid their riot shields on the ground at the request of demonstrators during unrest in June.

“I’ve been proud to be part of the organization that did that,” said Thomas Hayden, a warrant officer in the Maine National Guard who mobilized for coronavirus duty to help supply nursing homes with protective coronavirus equipment. “You hear cries of defund the police. But no one is saying that about the Guard.”

Guardsmen also mobilized for hurricane, flooding and wildfire response missions. California National Guard pilots rescued more than 200 people trapped by a fire northeast of Fresno in September, airlifting them on three perilous flights through dense black smoke.