ANDREWS AIR FORCE, Md. - Thousands of Guardmembers from around the country are flowing into the nation's capital this weekend to support the inauguration.
But before they start making it a safe and memorable event for everyone in attendance, they must in-process at one of three sites in the area, including the 113th Fighter Wing, a unit with the District of Columbia Air National Guard located here.
Helping to get these out-of-towners oriented and briefed on mission requirements is Senior Master Sgt. Kimberly Turner, the 113th base training manager, who waited patiently for the next group of Guard members to walk through the front door of the 113th Wing auditorium on Dec. 16.
"We identify the troop commander, make sure everyone has dog tags, ID cards and that their emergency data is up-to-date," she said. "Once that's done, we explain some of the laws and rules and regulations of the District of Columbia."
She said the most common question that people are asking is: "Where are we gonna sleep?"
When she directs them to austere confines of one of the base's gymnasiums, she said the troops are content with that. Many brought air mattresses in anticipation of that answer. Over the weekend, they will move to school gyms in the District.
Chief Master Sgt. Verdell Nash, superintendent of the 113th Military Personnel Flight, said that all troops who in-process also get a 15-minute briefing on rules for the use of force. They also watch a 10-minute welcome video that orientates them with the D.C. area.
"We're keeping accountability for all the troops coming into the AOR," said Nash. "We keep a record of emergency data so that if, unfortunately, something does happen to them we can contact loved ones and units as soon as possible."
Army National Guard Capt. Harry Tomlin in-processed while the rest of his team was still on its way, hauling a trailer with special communications equipment. He is in charge of a Joint Incident Site Communications Capability (JISCC) team from South Carolina. He said that each state has at least one.
The JISCC enables local, state and federal agencies to communicate with each other via satellite, radio, telephone, and the Internet. The system can also serve as a command post with world-wide reach, allowing an incident commander to exchange voice, video and online communications and data with anybody, anywhere using a satellite up-link system.
Like most Guardmembers who have come to support the inauguration, Tomlin and his team will be sleeping in school gyms, available buildings or maybe even a tent. "The last I heard, the only place you can get around here is $400 a night at a hotel," he said.
Along with the cold temperatures and getting his team fed, Tomlin said "I think the biggest concern will be coordinating all the different [communication] channels that need to open and close."
Tomlin said that the large volume of communications in the National Capital Region, especially during the inauguration, pose special challenges, but none they haven't trained for. His team will be "making sure no one is using frequencies that are on top of someone else's frequency."
About 50 cots with sleeping bags on them lined the walls of the cool, dimly-lit basketball court in the East Gymnasium here. Some cots had tents on top of them for added privacy.
Four Rhode Island Air National Guard members organized their gear and some of the goods they had just bought from the base exchange.
Senior Airmen Jackie Bradley and Alice Ruffner of the 158th Fighter Wing in Burlington, Vt., headed upstairs to the female sleeping area. When they left Vermont, it was 24 degrees below zero with two feet of snow on the ground, so Washington's chilly inaugural forecast probably won't faze them.
They will provide two hot meals a day to security forces from a mobile kitchen trailer at one of schools in the district. "Hopefully, I can shake the president's hand," said Ruffner, who is a food service manager at an elementary school in Vermont.
North Carolina Guardsman Senior Master Sgt. Archie Mustafa-Gordon, who manages a kitchen at a correctional facility as a civilian, said this mission has enabled him to reunite with old friends.
"I've had a chance to see some people I have not seen in maybe 12 years," said Mustafa-Gordon, who started his almost 30-year military career with the 113th back in 1980. He said the area has changed so much that he had to call his daughter, who lives in the area, to ask for directions.
"It's hurry up and wait," he said while spreading out his shaving kit on the sink counter in the men's locker room. He arrived late last night by car and hasn't heard when he'll be moving out to support the inauguration.
The 113th expects to in-process about 1,500-1800 Guardmembers through Dec. 18. Most have driven into town, but a group arrived last night by plane from Battle Creek, Mich., and a KC-135 Stratotanker from Iowa is expected Dec. 17.
More than 9,000 National Guard members will provide security, traffic control and crisis response assets during the inauguration. Other Guard support will include color guards, marching units and honor cordons. The 257th Army Band from the District of Columbia National Guard will play for one of the inaugural balls on Tuesday night.