SC Army National Guard speaks for the first time since back from DC

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – After more than 30 days in Washington, D.C., around 200 South Carolina Army National Guard soldiers returned home Saturday. The soldiers said their deployment wasn’t about politics, it was about helping people and keeping them safe.

In August, these soldiers were called to duty, and for some it was just 12 hours after completing two weeks of annual training in Georgia.

“We first got the call, it was approximately 12 hours after being home,” said Battalion Task Force Executive Officer Joseph Trippi. “My family is used to this.”

Trippi said the mission: “Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful,” focused on improving public safety and making the capital city beautiful. Trippi clarified that while some people focused on the beautification aspect, South Carolina’s role was about safety and security.

“We did not conduct any beautification… maybe there was some people that just, out of the goodness of their heart, saw some trash, moved it to the local trash can… [but it wasn’t] because that was their mission,” said Trippi.

Soldiers worked closely with local Law Enforcement, patrolled neighborhoods, and served as a presence to deter crime in D.C. neighborhoods.

Trippi shared one interaction, out of many, that stood out, a local business owner thanked him during a foot patrol for helping make her neighborhood safer.

“She was so thankful that she was able to walk home and not have a smashed window. She said that she had had a smashed window, in her own place of residence, at least once a month for several years, and this is the first month period that she had gone without a smashed window in her house,” he added.

William Aiken, the Medical Platoon Sergeant, was in charge of where medics were supposed to go and he said his team helped so many civilians.

“They provided medical care until EMS could get there…EMS has to deal with traffic, has to deal with all these other situations that if without our medical care being there, those individuals may not still be here,” he said.

Trippi said the statistics, for their work, show for themselves. In August to September of 2025 DC was 14% safer than the same timeframe in 2024.

“I have no doubt that we made…a lasting impact, and that our presence there, even though it was only for 30 days, will be felt for much longer than what we were actually able to be there for,” said Trippi.

Aiken said most of the people he talked to were grateful for their presence, but the others understood they were on a mission to protect the nation’s capital, and they were just doing their jobs.

The soldiers were rotated out with Georgia’s Army National Guard.