WASHINGTON – National Guard troops from Oklahoma joined nearly 8,000 other soldiers in Washington D.C. this week to bolster security efforts during the inauguration of President-elect Trump.
Around 100 guardsmen from Oklahoma were deployed, including Specialist Tristan Courtney and Sergeant Taylor Frizzell.
“When I found out I had the opportunity myself, never being at the nation’s capital, I jumped at it,” Courtney said. “It’s obviously just another check off the list of places to be that the Army’s given me a chance to do.”
The soldiers are working with law enforcement in D.C. to ensure the inauguration and inaugural activities are secure. While their mission is important, the soldiers said they still found time to enjoy the historic city.
“It’s also my first time in D.C., so getting to explore is a pretty cool experience,” Sergeant Frizzell said. “The Lincoln Memorial (and) the Washington Memorial, those are pretty cool things to see.”
There is no official timeline for when the soldiers could be heading home. According to National Guard officials, the soldiers will remain deployed until the mission is complete.
However, the opportunity to witness history outweighs such uncertainty for Courtney and his family.
“As soon as I told my loved ones, they were like, that’s history right there and you get to be a part of it, you don’t get to just watch it on TV, you’re going to be there in person,” he said.
Gaylord News is a reporting project of the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. For more stories by Gaylord News go to GaylordNews.net.
