Changing of the Guard; Maine continues support to Washington

AUGUSTA, MAINE (01/25/2021) (readMedia)-- Approximately 75 Maine National Guardsmen will 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, but will travel to Washington this week as the original group transits back 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.

For additional information on total National Guard support, contact the National Guard Bureau media desk at 703-601-6767.