The Forgotten

Much of America was focused on Barack Obama during the Inauguration but for a select few their attention was on the American people.
Members of the military and law enforcement seemed to be forgotten in the chaos. In awe of the whole spectacle many seemed to not even notice them. Just like civilians the Inauguration is a once in a lifetime event for them too.
For Spc. Matthew Scotty, a member of the 153rd Police Company of the Delaware National Guard, it was particularly special with his unit just finishing a tour in Iraq. They have the unique opportunity of protecting our country as well as our Commander and Chief from near and afar.
“This is definitely an important event,” Scotty said about the Inauguration. “Its nice to be here or apart of it at least.”
While Scotty wasn’t able to see the actual Inauguration he understood the importance of his job. With Barack Obama’s wide support and high approval ratings many predicted the crowds would be record breaking. The 1.9 million people the Washington Post said attended amazed him.
“The amount of people just from what I saw was insane,” Scotty said. “I’ve never seen that many people show up for an event like that.”
While Scotty has never done a tour like this inside the United States before, the 153rd has. The unit as a whole has participated in Hurricane Katrina, Operation Roving Sands in Texas and Operation Jumpstart in Arizona. With vast prior experience the veteran regiment was prepared to handle anything the Inauguration could throw at it.
Scotty was positioned at the intersection of Connecticut Ave. and K Street for the day. He and three other members of his unit were in charge of the crowd before the Inauguration and traffic flow after. Other members of his Company were scattered throughout the National Mall.
The Inauguration was the center of attention for much of the world and as a result created a security nightmare. While protecting against a terrorist attack was law enforcements primary goal it was not their only one. The general well being of the spectators was also important. As a result thousands of National Guardsmen and Police Officers from across the nation were called upon.
Law enforcement got lots of cooperation from on lookers, as there were no Inauguration related arrests. While seemingly unnoticed Spc. Scotty and the other members of the security staff fulfilled their duty perfectly. It is impossible to know what the event would have been like without them but thankfully we wont have to.