I’ve found my new favorite thing: stories and photos of the 20,000 young National Guard soldiers protecting the Capitol from the lunatic president and his army of unhinged nutjobs. Yesterday, the photos and stories started coming in, as the House of Representatives reconvened to vote on an article of impeachment, inciting an insurrection. When the representatives, House staffers and media outlets arrived at the Capitol, they were greeted by unreal scenes of thousands of National Guard soldiers camped out within the Capitol and outside of the Capitol. During the National Guard’s breaks and downtime, they were allowed to chill out inside the Capitol, and many of them took the chance to nap on the floor, look at the artwork and statues and hang out with Congressmen and journalists.
The Capitol hasn’t seen this kind of military influx since the Civil War. The fact that this is happening because everyone knows that Donald Trump will send more of his MAGA terrorist army to terrorize and murder people is still shocking to me. If there’s one good thing to come out of the January 6th Capitol siege, it’s that federal and state buildings got ready in a f–king hurry for additional terrorist attacks. These will likely be the same scenes across state capitals in all 50 states, as governors activate their National Guard units. The NG units in the Capitol are from all over – I’ve heard that there are units from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and more. They’re likely to be out in force like this for weeks, beyond the inauguration.
After seeing the incredible photos of National Guardsmen sleeping on the floor of the Capitol, many Americans wanted to send gifts and care packages to the NG. The NG has said publicly that while they appreciate the offers, their men and women have accommodations in DC, and they’re just resting in the Capitol when they’re off-duty, and there’s literally no way to coordinate care packages and such.
This thread from a HuffPo reporter is really amazing – most of the National Guard kids had never been in the Capitol, and they were asking him if the gift shop would open, and many of them were expressing how cool it was to hang out in the Capitol and how the building is really beautiful. Representatives Michael Waltz and Vicky Hartzler sent pizzas to the Guardsmen. Rep. Brian Mast gave at least one unit a tour of the Rotunda, explaining the art and how it was built. Speaker Pelosi spoke to the National Guardsmen, thanking them all for being there, and handing out her special “challenge coin.”
These are National Guard members in the Capitol on Wednesday, as the House is poised to impeach President Trump for a second time.
The Pentagon says about 15,000 troops will be in Washington in preparation for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. https://t.co/xMbza6aaET pic.twitter.com/h3kwiyu6MJ
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 13, 2021
Even during this dark time in the history of America, we find reasons for hope. It was my privilege today to personally thank members of the National Guard who are working protect our nation’s Capitol. Thank you for your commitment to our American democracy. pic.twitter.com/20VnePSyYP
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 13, 2021
Stunned. Just stunned. pic.twitter.com/iNeUTp8AWC
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) January 13, 2021
The Speaker of the House thanks the men and women of the National Guard for protecting the U.S. Capitol. pic.twitter.com/QwZlpeAWPp
— Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) January 13, 2021
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Getty.
The idea that these brave men and women, enlisted in our National Guard, many having never been to the Capitol and being in awe of it, is so touching to me. I truly hope that despite the reason they are there, they are having a good time, and being able to experience such history and getting tours and picking up souvenirs is so innocent to me in a time of such trouble. This article made me feel really good and hopeful.
Agree! This is the feel-good story out of a mountain of garbage
Michael Waltz is my congressman. He’s a Trumper and a POS. I wonder if he finally saw the light.
Agreed. I’m a goreigner and proudly Brazilian, bur these images made me cry in awe and hope for the generations to come. They’ll trully know what Democracy looks and feels like. Congrats to the U.S. military, and thanks to the National Guard. I hope all of you can gdt the chance to know what you are protecting. Thank you from this Brazilian here.
What’s cool is that the National Guard is made up of mostly normal folks, who want to serve their country in times of crisis. This is Jose from Accounting or Sarah from EMS in Tuskegee who volunteered for this extra duty as a way to help others. They have regular lives, then get called up for these extraordinary roles several weeks a year. Lots of them are former military, but the dedication and service to the nation is so commendable, especially knowing the danger of this volatile situation.
It seems to me that these young men and women are true patriots unlike the filth that sullied the Capitol last week and the WH for the last 4 years.
Thanks for this explanation, @noodle! I was about to go Google it.
Now have that line from RATM embedded in my brain after the Capitol riot. It’s clearly not just ‘some of those that work forces’, but more like 50+% who ‘are the same that burn crosses’. Your post made me feel more comfortable about the National Guard presence.
+1
Got emotional looking at these pix in a good way. Thank you for sharing.
This story was just so sweet. I feel like they represent the real USA of that makes sense. Diverse, curious, taking things in… not psychotic rage monsters like trump and MAGAs who want to burn the world down.
Absolutely. I didn’t know how much I needed to see these photos. I would be crying if I wasn’t so completely numb right now.
You see that statue the Black guardspeople are taking a picture in front of in the top image? I just looked it up and it’s of Rosa Parks.
Here it is on the Architect of the Capitol website: https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/rosa-parks
There’s a symbol of true courage. That’s what America should look like, to me.
And the floodgates of my tears just broke….
That’s the photo that really made me tear up.
This brought stinging tears to my eyes. Thank you for the beautiful story. It’s badly needed. ❤️
I just said the same thing below. I’m glad that they get to see it up close. That’s one good thing in all of this.
I should have read the comments 😄
Proud, Absolutely; but also incredibly sad that — as a nation — we’ve come to this. I sent an email of thanks to Pelosi yesterday for doing the right thing for the country. I sent an email to McConnell telling him he needs to put our country first and convene an emergency session of the Senate and finish the job rather than wait for the Senate majority democrats on Jan 20 to do the job he should be doing today. The country (including Congress) needs to send a clear message to Trump, any future public servant or elected politician, etc, that NO one is above the law, no matter how high the office. Thanks for shining a light on this great group of men and women, Kaiser.
PS — Rep Cammack voted against impeachment yesterday, but taking a selfie with National Guard would seem to indicate that she’s happy someone’s protecting her ass from Trump and his lunch mob.
My closest (emotionally) relative is serving there now in the capitol. Army paid for his college education and in 2019 I watched him take his commissioning oath where he swore to “defend the constitution against all enemies , both foreign and domestic”. I got teary eyed then and doubly now. Army then decided to assign him to National Guard duty in his state as opposed to regular Army. I am in daily text contact with him but we do not talk at all about anything currently going on. Just a few unrelated jokes, take your vitamins, try to sleep enough, keep your mask on. He’s on night duty. He says its quite cold at night with the wind chill.
They are all “supporting and defending the Constitution against all enemies, both foreign and domestic.
This is a wonderful article! These National Guards members are mostly younger ppl who are in awe of the art and location. It does my heart good to see the respect of these people for the Capitol. Beautiful! I am so glad Congress is embracing them.
I cried
Pelosi and every one of these soldiers are truly heroic.
Thank you National Guards and take care America. Bring decency back.
Their presence is making that place whole again. THAT’S the real strength and spirit of America. It’s really nice to see this.
And I say this as non-American, btw. I’d love nothing more but to see your country be healed and come back to its beautiful best self.
At this point, the Q/MAGA Cult (I think it’s important to use the word “cult” bc words matter and that’s what it is) is so far gone Trump doesnt even have to say anything new leading up to inauguration for there to be more violence. He, whoever Q is, and all the ecosystem of grifters around them have infected these people over the last 4 years and the damage is already permanently done.
One of the best ways to unravel this QAnon cult is to disclose who Q is. I’m shocked that no journalist, none of these tech billionaires with beef with Trump and none of the counter intelligence agencies have discovered his real identity. I’m personally pretty sure is a bunch of FSB operatives but either way, they need to expose who Q is.
I think it’s some 16-year-old asshole who’s mad at mommy and daddy.
@Julie FYI there’s a fascinating episode of Reply All about who might be behind QAnon. I think the episode is called “Country of Liars”. Definitely worth a listen!
I read an article last spring by a real journalist about who Q was. I wasn’t familiar with the whole scene, but his logic seemed good.
It was some guy who isn’t famous, moved to the Philippines and married a mail order bride a few weeks later, and ran a web hosting company?
They supposedly host porn and other websites. It sounded about right. The preoccupation with pedophile rings has made me think there’s a lot of projection involved.
Roger Stone’s name has been thrown around on occasion. But another name that I have heard theories about is Jim Watkins, who is the current owner of 8chan, one of the dumping grounds for crazy Q and far right theories. Watkins recently got in trouble for possibly being connected to a site that had inappropriate images of underage girls. To Lucy’s point about projection, whoever is eventually revealed as Q will probably have a vile and criminal past related to pedophilia.
I’m not american but this made me tear up.
ditto!
Me too. My mom lives in the States and I’m seriously worried for her safety. She lives in Florida and it’s far from any troubles. Bless the NG for their protection. Let’s hope nothing happens to these generous souls , President Biden, VP Harris, or anyone really!
Bless them for helping keep our neighbours safe. So glad they’re receiving some well-deserved appreciation.
Me too!
Same. This story made me cry.
It must be jarring to enter the Capitol and see this.
It’s jarring just to see the photos.
I live in NJ, and last winter before Covid went to DC for the day to see an exhibit. Walked right in front of the capitol to the botanical gardens. It was empty, quiet, and peaceful, and I didn’t think twice about walking by. It’s a whole other world now.
My representative brought coffee to some on the guards on duty. He’s also the one who stayed for hours to help clean the Capitol building. People like him, and these young men and women serving their country, give me so much hope.
I read about your representative cleaning up the Capitol and was so impressed and touched. I’ve forgotten his name. He’s a true gem.
Andy Kim is my new favorite legislator
I really like your representative. A real gentleman who is willing to serve.
He very active around the district, meeting with all different groups of people. We’re pretty purple, it’s split over a red area and a blue, and he still voted for impeachment, twice now. He worked in national security before running for office, so he’s a big asset to Congress, IMO. I hope he can hang onto his seat as long as he wants it.
I’ve made a few small donations to him, and his campaign always calls to say thank you, and I’ve chatted with a few of them – super nice people.
Andy Kim is awesome. His interviews have been amazing as is his resume. As a first generation American whose parents were so proud to become citizens it must’ve been especially painful to witness this.
The story about Andy Kim helping clean up the Capitol was incredibly touching. It’s people like him, who are in public service for the right reasons, who give me hope that we can get past this era of Lauren Boeberts and Madison Cawthorns who rode the insane QAnon wave into office.
Here in Chicago, my Democrat State senator just got reelected with only 27 more votes than his challenger, a full on Q nut who is still posting about how Trump is the guy who will be inaugurated next week. The rot is everywhere.
Your representative was my one bright spot from Jan 6. That was wonderful.
Those pics of Rep Kim cleaning up the capitol for hours after the House finished their work the night of Jan 6 had me in tears. The reporters interview with him about why he did it was so moving. A true American in very sense of the word.
I’m not even American and this is making me quite emotional. Thank goodness for these people and those who recognise their value and brought them in. Sadly I have a feeling you will need them, right across the country, in the coming days.
Can’t they provide sleeping bags?
Or yoga mats??
I am an army veteran. These national guard soldiers are on what is a standby duty, meaning they need to be ready to go but also they will have rest periods. Soldiers, sailors, airmen & marines rest wherever there is space to accommodate them.
These national guard soldiers have hotel spaces for actual resting at night/day depending on work shift schedule, these are just breaks in their watch where they need to rest in place. Having a lot of gear to accommodate rest in place would hamper their ability to respond. This is just part of being a soldier.
What souperkay said. As someone who was in Iraq you just found a buddy and leaned on each other. They are okay.
Nope. They are combat ready.
I’m totally with you. I just want to drape some quilts over them. Let them rest. It is so emotional seeing them there. Bringing out all the maternal instincts.
souperkay and whateveryousay, thanks for explaining that, and thanks for your service to your country!
I am moved to tears seeing that it is people of color who come to defend the Capitol, even though they are discriminated against by banks, even though they are paid less, even though they they are zoned and even though they are vilified for not wanting to be brutalized by the police. There is hope for the Republic, and Black Lives Matter.
It also struck me that people of color were guarding the Capital against the white Trumpies who would desecrate it.
White goobers smeared feces all over priceless furniture and paintings. African-American NGs are admiring and protecting them. I’m Canadian but got all verklempt reading this article and seeing the photos.
Agree Jaded. Given the firearms that have been confiscated (and well never know how much wasn’t found or confiscated) and the smearing of feces and destruction, I see no peaceful protest or any pride in being an American in that crowd on Jan 6. One female said there was such hatred in their eyes as they pounded bare fists through glass in doors, that as a female she was terrified. I understand they did extensive damage in one of the women’s restrooms. Her comment was she dreaded to think what thy would have done if they’d have found any women in that restroom.
It’s both heartening to see them there (and to know that we are more prepared for any subsequent attacks than we were for the first one) and chilling that they do need to be there.
I love the story of them being excited to see the Capitol, and being sent pizzas, etc.
My gosh this is not my favorite picture. They didn’t sign up for this crap! God bless them. And get them some sleeping bags!
Hi Jilly. Army veteran here. These are national guard soldiers on guard and security duty, which is a large part of their service. National Guard soldiers are different than regular army soldiers and reserve army soldiers. They swear their oath to their governor, meaning that they provide services to their states and generally not the federal government. They respond to natural disasters and other missions that regular army and reservists soldiers do not.
This guard and security duty in DC means they need to be ready to respond extremely quickly, so when they are resting in place, they should not be burdened by cots, yoga mats, sleeping bags etc. It is also quite likely since this is a combination of guard units, that the various units are staging in the place that has room for them all.
Sleeping in weird places without normal comforts is a part of military service, in all branches. When given the opportunity to rest, servicemembers will always take advantage and crash wherever there is space.
These national guard soldiers do have regular hotel room accommodations to sleep in beds for whenever they are off duty, rest assured.
Thank you for this perspective. It makes me think of my father, a Naval officer, who used to nap on the floor in our living room.
Souperkay: Thanks for your service and this perspective. This actually answers quite a few questions I had because I always thought they were like the military where they answer to the President, but that they are under the command of Governors makes a lot more sense.
Question: so are these servicemen deployed from a mix of different states and if so which ones?
Thank you for your service and input.
Mad respect to those who serve our country. Thank you @souperkay for your service!
@Normades: right now, I know there are DC, Maryland & Pennsylvania national guard soldiers there. DC will put in the request and available guard units across different states in the capitol region can agree to respond. There are 20,000 national guard troops in DC so I imagine there are other states sending assets as well.
Thanks for the reply and thank you again for your service!
I am hoping this will not come to armed confrontation. It is moving to see all of these amazing young people present to serve their country, I would be incredibly upset if any of them was harmed in that service. Hoping we can rebuild in peace.
My dad was a fighter pilot in Vietnam. Thank you for your service
Beautiful. I didn’t even know I needed this until I found myself in tears while reading. Thank you.
Wow that brings back memories. I was in the Army Band and we were on an air strip for days in Rein Mein Air Base playing troop departures and arrivals during Desert Storm. Froze are asses off but Wolf Blitzer did buy all of us coffee and doughnuts.
They are heroes. And they are used to sleeping anywhere they can. Operational readiness. Sleeping bags and stuff would just slow them down.😊
That is an interesting story. Kudos to Wolf for buying coffee and doughnuts.
I’m hoping these young men and women receive more nice treatment from those they are currently protecting. Food for now, memories for later. Most of all, I’m hoping they remain safe.
Mamasan, how cool. What instrument did you play? My kids were in band in high school and every year they did a concert for the community on Veterans Day. The band director would always have a guest conductor from one of the military bands for the week leading up to it. The students really enjoyed it. And then at the concert they would play a medley of all the songs from each branch and audience members who served in that branch would stand up when their song played. It was especially touching to see WWII veterans come out for it.
I’m thankful the National Guard is there. Praying that the domestic terrorists stay away. However, not everyone is pleased about the conditions the National Guard are enduring.
It hasn’t been a good deployment’ | Mom describes her National Guard son’s experience protecting DC
https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/national/capitol-riots/national-guard-us-capitol-mom-deployment-troop/65-c90329a9-bb5a-4f2f-a43c-372176499a28
Am I the only one that is reminded of the post 9/11 times in NYC? National Guard everywhere but why weren’t they there before the attack?! Anyway, these images bring up old feelings of trauma that I thought were resolved. Will we ever feel safe again? Will that safety forever be associated with the military?
I worked in DC right after 9/11, and the Guard was all over town back then too. These pictures reminded me of that.
It’s a similar feeling. Both such extreme events, committed by terrorists, involving things that I never, ever imagined would happen.
I agree. When I told my husband and kids that it felt like 9/11, they didn’t really understand. But I had the exact same feeling that I couldn’t shake back then, that this wasn’t a singular event but only the beginning of more attacks to come. Very unsettling, especially now when we see Republican congresspeople whining about the metal detectors or refusing to go through them, which have been set up to protect them from the people they incited. Enraging.
They weren’t there before (and during) the attack because the governors’ offers to send them were turned down by the corrupt Trump administration, which knew this was going to happen and did nothing but encourage and enable it. Pence finally allowed NG to come in on the day of, when it had already been happening.
My Dad served in the NG during the 1960s. As others have mentioned, most of the Guard have regular day jobs. Being in the NG gives them some extra pay.
There are 250 from our area armory packing up to be flown to DC right now.
That they have to call up so many more of these soldiers because of a Big Lie is frustrating. It does make me feel better that some are taking in the normally beautiful and historic DC.
And what’s crazy is that they have to repeat this on a smaller scale in each state because all 50 state capitols have also been threatened.
This made me tear up yesterday and now again ❤️
Just read a little bit about the rep who gave the tour (Mast). He probably should have spent that time brushing up on the Constitution before he voted.
I just love how awe-struck most of them look, like you know how inspired they are to be there. I haven’t toured the capitol in decades, but I really appreciate how much they seem to recognize how amazing it is.
Yes, it’s such a refreshing contrast to all that human filth trashing the place last week.
My dream is to be able to spend at least a week there. I am such a history nut
I love these images, I’m so proud of these men and women. I love these stories and the internet sleuths who are tracking down all the rioters. Those are also my favorites stories. I applaud those amateur detectives who can dig down the rabbit holes and track those dumba$$es down…it’s fascinating!
I hope this doesn’t get swept under the rug. The alarm has been sounded for years about the extremists in the Capitol Police force.
“No One Took Us Seriously”: Black Cops Warned About Racist Capitol Police Officers for Years
https://www.propublica.org/article/no-one-took-us-seriously-black-cops-warned-about-racist-capitol-police-officers-for-years
I worked with a NG soldier and he was absolutely everything you’d hope, drop dead gorgeous ( when he wore his uniform it was especially distracting) intensely patriotic, focused, committed husband & father and all around good guy. He is completely responsible for making me weepy whenever I see someone uniform…
When did you meet my husband? Lol 😉 (He was actually active duty AF but otherwise fits the description.)
We always think of troops as going to fight off in foreign wars but there is a lot they do here in the US and abroad with disaster relief too. (Obviously laws prohibit them from doing things like this which require the NG only)
A few years ago, my cousin got married in Columbia, SC and my sister and I had some free time. Our hotel was not far from the SC State House (so the SC equivalent of the Capitol) so we walked on over and went inside. It was completely free from what I remember and while I have zero knowledge of SC politicians, the building was beautiful. (I did notice most of the portraits were white men but there were a few of women and maybe one POC) I remember as we wandered around thinking of how cool it was to see it and seeing where some of our government works. It really made me have respect and I dunno… I felt patriotic for the first time in a long time. So seeing all these National Guardsmen (Guardspeople?) protecting the Capitol is very emotional and the fact some of them are so in awe of being there is also very touching to hear.
These images are just amazing. These men and women are saving our democracy. We owe them everything.
Like several other commenters, I notice that it looks like the NG has a lot of soldiers who are people of color, who are dealing with a violent, sociopathic temper tantrum by a bunch of self-involved white people.
I’m truly enjoying all the photos coming out. My heart has only been tugged like this twice in the last five years. The diversified coming together following the Floyd tragedy and now.
And pelosi has handed out challenge coins. That may not seem a big deal but it is to military folk. Having one from the SOH would be an amazing thing. My hubby was in the Khobar Towers bombing in ‘96 and has one from the Chief of Staff and the FBI Director. They mean a lot in situations like these.
It’s sad though that we have to have three times the total number of troops in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria COMBINED guarding our capitol from domestic terrorists.
As for sleeping on the floor, they’re just on standby duty. They’re not going to bus people to and fro DC for just a few hours to chill. They have accommodations though. It would be nice if they were closer to the capitol though so they could go back more easily. But there are all kinds of rules about how much they can cost. Rules flouted by POTUS when he made AF One crews stay at his Irish resort.
Thanks for explaining about the coins. I was curious but had not yet done any research about them.
I had no idea about the coins. Thank you for explaining that.
Btw, the podcast 99% invisible had a great episode about challenge coins a couple years back – worth a listen if you want to learn more! I had never heard of them before, but now that I know, I see them everywhere!
@Jay Thanks for that tip!
I’m glad they are there this time, but I don’t find the sight exactly comforting. This kind of social instability can be a recipe for things like tighter restrictions on civil rights and martial law down the road. It’s a sobering reminder that we have a rough decade ahead of us.
As a DC resident, I frequently forget how awe-inspiring the Capitol is. But watching it being attacked by goons waving American flags last week, I was crying and sick. Seeing these NG members not only seeing the Capitol for the majestic power and beauty it is but willingly defending it against fellow citizens makes me cry again, this time with pride. Thank you to the NG (and other military) who put their lives aside to protect us and to the elected officials who returned to the Capitol to continue their important work.
These photos have brought me to tears several times over the last few days. It’s so heartening. This is patriotism. THIS.
You know that was a thought I had the other day when all of this was going on.
Most people have never been to the Capitol, I haven’t, and maybe never will be able to and those MFs went there specifically to destroy it. Destroy what belongs to all of us.
To all of them crying now f— them, cry in jail!
On a brighter note I do think that it’s nice that the NG have been able to see it up close on their down time even if it is under these circumstances. They get to see first hand what it’s all for.
If you ever do plan a trip to Washington DC, when you are making your lodging and travel plans, go to the website of your Representative or one of your Senators and schedule a tour. You can also schedule one through the Visitor Center but you have a better chance of getting admission and getting admission on the day you want if you go through one of your elected officials. If you go through your elected official, you’ll go to their office first in one of the congressional office buildings and a staff person, usually an intern, will then take you on a small group or personal tour of the Capitol. If you go through one of your Senators, you might get to ride on the mini subway. I took one of my nieces to Washington and booked a tour through Ted Kennedy’s office. Just sitting in the lobby of his office was an experience for her as every inch of wall space was covered with amazing photographs or art work, including several Warhols.
Yes! I took the tour with my representative quite a few years ago. I was just thinking about it today as I was trying to picture inside the Capitol. What an experience.
I didn’t know I could do that. Thanks!
Thanks, idk that!
I did a tour back when I was in high school, but wouldn’t love to go again as an adult.
DC is a great city to visit. The museums are amazing, and I once did a nighttime tour of the monuments that was really cool. We used to go to the fireworks on July 4th a lot too, that was always fun.
I felt a wave of emotion looking at these photos that is hard to pinpoint – is it that so many are young and so clearly excited and honoured to be there? Is it that I so recently saw so many people wearing military armour and fatigues, but they were trying to destroy and not protect these same halls? The group taking a selfie with the Rosa Parks statue got me right in the feels.
I also saw waaaaaay too many tweets outraged: Why are they all SLEEPING, they should be GUARDING what if the terrorists come etc etc 😒
The one with the soldiers in front of Rosa Parks made me boo-hoo out loud. So touching.
This made me weepy, and both sad and happy that the NG is there. We visited with my daughter when she went to the National Spelling Bee, and went through our representative’s office for a private tour.
Like so many of you, I found these images profoundly moving, especially as a senior because most of them are young enough to be my grandchildren. I hope they will be safe. I watch from Canada and my heart goes out to all the good Americans dealing with the few idiots that don’t know how good they have it
Am I missing something? Aren’t the National Guard the same folks who were deployed to suppress BLM protests across the US? I’m happy to see they are protecting the Capitol from MAGA terrorists and standing on the right side of history *this time*, but I’m not getting all the fawning over them (I’m not American btw).
I think they were deployed during BLM, but it is my understanding they weren’t violent against peaceful protestors. They were usually called in at the end, after police forces were violent.
The BOP (Bureau of Prisons) provided armed forces during the DC photo-op incident, and they were extra ordinarily violent and their camo uniforms were not labeled as to what force they were with.
These folks give me hope! The best of us to counter what we saw last week which is some of the worst this country has ever produced. Thank you for writing about this it is a balm for a weary heart.
My daughter was just hired as a legislative aid at my state capitol. I’m so worried for her.
You should be so very proud, and I am so sorry these jerks have overshadowed her accomplishments.
Thank you for this story. I hope that The National Guard is safe and appreciate them being there. Many TRUE patriots risked and sacrificed their lives to not only help others but also to save and protect this building on 9/11. Let their lost lives and the pain of their loved ones not be in vain.
These photos are incredibly moving and stir my patriotism, but it’s just terribly sad that we’ve come to this.
Thank you for your service to the commenters upthread and to your families for their sacrifices.
This made me cry, happy, thankful tears, for actual heroes. Thank you so much!
I love this story, thank you for posting. That top picture is making me feel very emotional. People like these in the National Guard make me feel so proud of our country. It’s very upsetting, though, thinking about why they’re there. I wish I could thank them in person for their service.