After Action Report 21 August 2025

 Yesterday I went to downtown Washington DC to see firsthand the effect, if any, of having the National Guard and federal law enforcement supplement the DC police in the most touristed area of the city: the National Mall. Estimated walking distance from onthegomap.com: 6.61 miles. (Editor’s note: I am too old for this shit. Next time I get such a brilliant idea I’m going to drink a frosty cold glass of Sit the Fuck Down until it passes. Or a piping hot mug, depending on the season.)

 I don’t know that I accomplished much apart from satisfying my own curiosity and showing about a dozen people old white man are not all MAGA assholes. Highlights included, in no particular order:

·       I spoke to 12 National Guard troops on the Mall. Regardless of what we think of 47’s decision to put them there, all of them were polite and friendly young men who were happy to talk to me. They represent us well and we should be proud to have such fine young men in our service.

·       When I ask if their current duty was the kind of thing they signed up for, the majority declined to comment, often citing “operation security.” I get that. I was among the first to be trained in co-ed companies back in 1980. 60 Minutes came on the base to conduct interviews. My company was called into formation, where SSG Willie Green gave us the following pep talk: “Those TV people may ask you your opinion. Your opinion is, you gots no opinion. Dismissed.” There are rights you sign away when joining the military. The Army is very clear about that, and I get it. I respected those Guardsmen’s position and did not push.

·       One commented that this was what he signed up for, “to see the country. I’m loving this.” When I asked about the specific task, he cited operational security.

·       A soldier from West Virginia remarked on what a beautiful city Washington is, and how he’ll be back.

·       My favorite response to “Is this the kind of duty you signed up for when you enlisted” was, “Absolutely……..not.”

·       I saw no federal law enforcement outside of a Capitol Police K-9 officer patrolling the grounds and two DHS police officers talking to a couple of Amtrak cops in Union Station.

·       I saw 46 National Guards I did not speak to, either because of distance or walking in the wrong direction.

·       Six young men who were obviously military were sightseeing on their day off and having a ball.

·       I encountered only two DC cops. One drove by on his motorcycle. The other gave me directions when I asked. She, too, could not have been nicer.

·       I spoke with a handful of Guardsmen at the Union Station Metro and learned they’re being put up in local hotels. I have to wonder how much of this “emergency deployment” is a way to get hoteliers off the Administration’s back by replacing some of their lost tourist revenue with National Guards.

·       I saw quite a few uniformed troops while eating lunch in Union Station’s food court, but all but a handful were either eating or carrying bags of food. Those who were not were being escorted in the direction of the food court by an Amtrak cop.

·       Not a trace of ICE.

·       A major surprise: At least half the people I saw walking around as tourists spoke Spanish to each other.

·       This one’s for you, Charlie Stella: I followed the sounds of sirens, thinking there might be police activity. What I found were half a dozen Palestinian protesters with noise generators, banging on pots and pans to protest events in Gaza. I went round to all of them to give a thumbs up and shake hands.

·       A park ranger at the Vietnam Memorial said he didn’t feel any more, or less, safe with the National Guard in town. He did say the memorial was popular with the uniformed Guards..

The end result is I’m tired and I’m sore and I don’t think I accomplished anything except for spreading goodwill to a dozen or so people and working off some of my own frustrations. On the other hand, I did find three restrooms on the Mall for future reference, which is a big deal for a man with a prostate five months shy of seventy years old and taking medication that encourages – no, demands – frequent urination.