More than 100 National Guard personnel from nine different states gathered in front of the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington today to recite the oath of enlistment and extend their service contracts.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth administered the oath.
Those guard members — from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and West Virginia — are among the more than 2,600 guardsmen currently serving in Washington, at the behest of President Donald J. Trump, in support of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force mission.
The task force stood up in August 2025, after the president declared a crime emergency in the nation's capital.
Washington is safe again — thanks to the work of the thousands of guard personnel who have volunteered for the mission over the past six months, Hegseth said.
"What you've accomplished on your mission in this city is historic, life-changing, actually," he said. "Anybody who arrived in this city in 2024, early 2025, knows exactly what we walked into — a city full of crime, graffiti, lawlessness. The folks that lived here kind of got used to it, but visitors showed up and asked what happened to the capital."
Crime is down in the district, Hegseth said, both visitors and residents feel safe again, and it's because National Guard members are working hand-in-hand with local law enforcement and federal partners to secure the city and make it safe and beautiful.
"This is a brand-new city; a fundamentally different city," he said. "President Trump promised to deliver that. I talk about it. The Army talks about it. Your leadership talks about it. You guys do it every day ... that gives assurances to the people that live here, the people that are visiting here, and you provide a capital that Americans deserve, that the world should see. You should be extremely proud."
For a year now, Hegseth said, the U.S. military has seen phenomenal recruiting numbers — numbers that indicate young Americans want to sign up to serve their country. But just as important as recruiting numbers, he said, are retention numbers. When service members reenlist, it means the War Department and military services are doing things the right way, in terms of mission and providing the right kind of support to service members.
"It's a great sign," the secretary said. "It's a great sign of your leadership. It's a great sign of belief in the mission. You've got good leaders ... taking care of you. And that's the view that we've had from the department from the beginning. ... We're going to ask you to do tough things, but we're also going to ensure that we have your back the entire time in every way that we can."
While addressing the guardsmen, Hegseth pointed out the significance of where their reenlistment was happening — right at the center of a handful of landmarks that represent the very ideals U.S. military personnel are sworn to protect.
"When I heard there was some reenlistments, I said, let's pile them all up — as many as we can — and do it as a group to show to the American people how dedicated [and] together we are to this beautiful mission, this beautiful city [and] this beautiful country," Hegseth said.
This year, the United States commemorates 250 years as a nation, and Hegseth pointed out monuments that represent the nation's history — each visible to those in attendance.
As he spoke, he pointed to the Washington Monument, representing the father of the nation, George Washington; the Lincoln Memorial, representing the American president who kept the nation together despite having endured a brutal civil war; the U.S. Capitol, where the laws that define a nation are written; and finally the White House, where the words that are written in the Capitol become the nation's laws.
"Our job is to be willing to raise our right hand and defend it all," Hegseth said. "There's laws that are made, declarations that are made, and then there are men and women who defend [them]. That's exactly what you do."
Army Sgt. Christian N. Brown, a public affairs specialist assigned to the Mississippi National Guard, was one of those reenlisting in the frigid cold on Friday morning. He's been in the Army for seven years, he said, and he's been on mission in Washington since September 2025, as part of Joint Task Force Magnolia, which comprises units from the Louisiana and Mississippi National Guards supporting the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force.
"I pretty much document everything that Joint Task Force Magnolia does throughout the area of operations, both inside the [area of operation] and back at command," Brown said.
Being able to reenlist with the secretary of war administering the oath, he said, means a lot, as does his military service.
"I'm very proud to be both in the Mississippi National Guard and to be in the Army," Brown said. "I joined when I was 19; I didn't expect much when joining, but I've actually found a family here with the military, and I love my job. I've always loved being in the military and being in the Army, and it is such a great honor."
Army Spc. Cristal Sanchez, a field artillery specialist assigned to the Alabama National Guard, has been in Washington since September 2025, as part of Task Force Yellow Hammer.
"We're patrolling the streets; we're helping law enforcement maintain the city," Sanchez said, adding that she feels good about what she's doing. "I am proud; I think we're doing a good job maintaining D.C., safe and beautiful."
This is Sanchez's third year in the Army, and she said it's an honor to be reenlisted by the secretary of war.
"I feel privileged," she said. "It's not an opportunity you get every day."
Army Master Sgt. Michael E. Eschenfelder is assigned to the Florida National Guard and has been in the Army for 36 years, both active duty and with the guard.
"We're making D.C. beautiful and safe again for the people to walk around," Eschenfelder said. "I think every American should have the right to walk their streets without fear, and if we're out here helping them do that — it's an honor to do that."
Eschenfelder said the work he and his team of soldiers typically do involves disaster response, such as hurricanes, so this work is new to them.
"We always get Florida back up and running real quick," he said. "But here we're on a different mission. We're not doing logistics. We're doing security. My people work in Foggy Bottom ... there's a lot of people coming up to us ... and they're talking about how great it is to see us here. They can feel that everything is relaxing."
Eschenfelder is mostly proud of what he is involved in, and proud to be reenlisted by the secretary of war.
"It's an honor to be here," he said. "I've never been more proud to be a soldier. I'm telling you right now, this is a good time to be a soldier. I'm just so happy and pumped up to be here for this event. It's amazing."
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