National Guard members are back in Idaho post-inauguration — and post-parking garage
The roughly 300 members of the Idaho National Guard have returned to the Gem State following service in Washington, D.C., for the presidential inauguration.
The soldiers and airmen arrived back at Gowen Field on Sunday evening, according to a news release from the Idaho Guard. Members of the Idaho Guard were part of an estimated 26,000 Guard members from around the country who traveled to D.C. for the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
The Guard said Idaho members were among those who took on-duty rest breaks before the inauguration in a parking garage that news reports said was cold with few restrooms. That placement prompted bipartisan criticism and led President Joe Biden to call Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, chief of the National Guard, to express “dismay” about how the troops had been treated.
The Idaho National Guard noted that members worked shifts ranging from 12-20 hours. When members were off-duty, Idaho Guard personnel slept in hotels within the District of Columbia.
Greeting the Guard members when they arrived Sunday in Boise were Idaho Gov. Brad Little and Maj. Gen. Michael Garshak, the adjutant general for the Idaho Guard.
Both shared their admiration for the men and women who “answered the call,” according to Garshak. Over 275 Guard members left from Boise on Jan. 15, less than three days after Little authorized members to go to the Nation’s Capital.
“It never ceases to amaze me, the dedication of the men and women of the Idaho National Guard and their families,” Little said. “Thank you to your employers. That’s all part of the chemistry of what we do here.”
The Idaho Guard planned to send roughly two dozen people to D.C. in the months leading to the inauguration, but a steep increase in personnel was requested in response to the Capitol riot that took place on Jan. 6. In total, the Idaho Guard sent around 7% of its overall force to D.C.
The Guard also noted that the members sent to D.C. did not include the 200 people sent around Idaho in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Members of the Idaho Guard went to D.C. in support of the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Capitol Police and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.
Around 400 Idaho Guard members were sent to D.C. in June amid Black Lives Matter protests in response to the killing of George Floyd.
This story was originally published January 25, 2021 at 10:38 AM.
