DOD COVID-19 Response Continues Long History of Aiding Civilians

April 27, 2020 | BY David Vergun , DOD News

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, active duty military, reserve and National Guard service members are responding in various ways, from providing medical support and logistics to transportation and food delivery.

This isn't the first time the Defense Department has assisted civil authorities in the United States.

In the early 1920s, President Warren G. Harding ordered the Marines to protect mail delivery service after millions of dollars were stolen in a rash of mail robberies. Armed Marines guarded mail trucks and trains throughout the United States, with orders to shoot if necessary. Robberies of the mail completely stopped.

However, by the mid-1920s, the Marines had withdrawn from this duty, and robberies again became frequent. So once more, the Marines were sent in. Robberies ceased, and when the Marines later withdrew, mail robberies were no longer a problem.

One of the most destructive floods in the United States was known as the Great Mississippi Flood of 1926 and 1927. About 500 people lost their lives, and more than 700,000 became homeless. As a result, Congress passed the Flood Control Act of 1928, directing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build levees along the river.

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina came ashore in Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi, causing massive flooding in those and several other states, including in the city of New Orleans, which was especially hard-hit. About 1,200 people died as a result of the flooding, and millions were left homeless.

The Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers, active duty service members, guardsmen and reservists were called on to help with rescue, recovery, cleanup efforts and rebuilding.

One of the worst snowstorms ever to hit Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and all of New England was the blizzard of 1978, which raged from Jan. 26 to Feb. 7. Record snowfalls occurred throughout the region, and about 100 people were killed. Weather forecasting at the time was spotty, and many motorists got stranded on roads. The National Guard used helicopters and tactical vehicles to rescue those stranded and manned emergency centers.

The Defense Department, as well as other government agencies and civilian companies, have increasingly come under attack from Russia, China, terrorists and criminals, both to disrupt service as well as steal intellectual property. In 2018, DOD issued its U.S. National Cyber Strategy, which includes protecting the American people and businesses by safeguarding networks and data and strengthening the ability of the United States allies and partners to deter and punish those who use cyber maliciously.

More recently, DOD has also been tasked with monitoring and ensuring secure elections.

Those are just a few of the many examples of the department protecting the homeland. Others include fighting wildfires and providing security at major events such as the Super Bowl.