Maine National Guardsmen to offer support in capital until March

PHOTOS: Soldiers with the Maine Army National Guard, stand guard in Washington, D.C., Jan. 19. Maine guards will remain to support the authorities in the nation’s capital into March. (U.S. Army National Guard Spc. Christopher Hall photos)

AUGUSTA — Approximately 75 Maine National Guardsmen will continue to provide support to the District of Columbia National Guard and federal agencies for the next several weeks.
The majority of these soldiers are not part of the original 200 that supported the inauguration on Jan. 20, but traveled to Washington the week of Jan. 25 as the original group returns to Maine. Approximately a dozen soldiers from the original group volunteered to remain on duty in the nation’s capital.
“The request came in from the National Guard Bureau and we wanted to continue to support while also taking our members personal and professional lives into account,” said Maj. Gen. Douglas Farnham, Maine’s adjutant general. “The first group was informed their orders would end near the end of the month, so we put together another group of volunteers for this extended mission. Strong employer support is so critical to what we do, so we did everything we could to honor our original commitment to that first wave’s employers and families.”
Approximately 7,000 total National Guardsmen will remain on duty in Washington supporting federal agencies through the end of the month, with that number coming down to around 5,000 that may remain into March.