National Guard members deployed to Washington, D.C., were assigned largely noncombat duties that contrasted with public perceptions of military heroism. Many Guard members serve part-time like modern Minutemen, training on weekends and returning home when missions conclude. The deployment placed emotional strain and humiliation on troops asked to perform tasks such as picking up trash while wearing uniforms. A vignette of a parent returning home with a child captures the awkwardness and the lost sense of martial pride. The deployment functioned as symbolic theater intended to project strength rather than reflect the Guard's usual readiness or combat role.
Watching the members of the National Guard being deployed in DC has been . . . painful. I'm not talking about the assault on democracy, as bad as that is, but the toll this deployment must be taking on the members of the Guard themselves. As a pastor, I've had countless members of the National Guard in my congregations. They're the modern version of the Minutemen, practicing on the weekends every so often, ready to go at a moment's notice when the need arises.
Kid: Dad, what happened on your deployment? Dad(looking down at his feet): Oh, you know. We went and did our thing, then came home. Kid: How many terrorists did you shoot? Dad: It wasn't that kind of mission. Kid: Did you blow up somebody's headquarters? Dad: Uh, no. Kid: Then what *did* you do? Is it so secret you can't tell me?long pause
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