Soldiers from the Old Guard, a ceremonial army unit based outside of Washington, D.C., were issued bayonets, scabbards and live ammunition in preparation to be deployed to police protests in the capital, according to a letter from Pentagon leaders obtained by Bloomberg.
A rifle with a bayonet.
The Old Guard is the oldest active-duty infantry regiment in the Army and mostly performs ceremonial duties, including escorting the president, but its mission also includes providing security for Washington, D.C., in times of national emergency or civil disturbances.
Up to 800 members of the unit were on alert to the Washington D.C. protests last weekend, as stated in the letter to the House Armed Services Committee picked up by Bloomberg.
Soldiers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division were also on standby for deployment to the protests with fixed bayonets.
The U.S. Marines still train to use bayonets, but the U.S. Army took it out of its basic training regimen in 2010.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley apologized Thursday for participating in President Trump's photoshoot with a bible outside of St. John's Church, which came after the surrounding area was forcibly cleared of peaceful protesters. Milley said, "My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics."
National Guardsmen told they were uncomfortable with the way they were used to quell largely peaceful demonstrations. "The crowd was loud but peaceful, and at no point did I feel in danger, and I was standing right there in the front of the line," said a National Guard official who spoke with Politico anonymously. "A lot of us are still struggling to process this, but in a lot of ways, I believe I saw civil rights being violated in order for a photo op."
U.S. Army Unit Was Issued Bayonets to Prep for D.C. Protest Duty (Bloomberg)
Top General Apologizes for Taking Part in Trump Photo at Church (Bloomberg)
'What I saw was just absolutely wrong': National Guardsmen struggle with their role in controlling protests ( Politico)
Weaponry on the Cutting Edge ( Slate)
I'm the Under 30 Editorial Community Lead at Forbes. Previously, I directed marketing at a mobile app startup. I've also worked at The New York Times and New York
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