Protecting the Capitol

History is happening all around, and some of us get to be a little closer to the front lines.

Andrew Enriquez, a homeschool graduate of Coeur d’Alene, joined the Idaho Army National Guard in 2008, and from there has moved to protecting the U.S. Capitol. That's where he was Tuesday night while President Joe Biden delivered the State of the Union speech.

Joining the guard during his college years, Enriquez said there was a tradition of service in his family. As a young boy he watched his older brother become a Marine.

“When I saw him, the pride he put into preparing his uniform and serving in the Marine Corps Reserve, it impressed me very much at a young age,” Enriquez said.

Enriquez got his language training through the National Guard, with diplomas in French and Mandarin. He worked for 11 years with the Idaho National Guard where he met his wife, also in the service.

Enriquez then transferred for a year supporting the active duty Army in Virginia, then to the District of Columbia National Guard in 2019. He currently is a technical sergeant, serving in the District of Columbia Air National Guard as a public affairs specialist.

Enriquez spends his days documenting the efforts of service members. During the State of the Union address Tuesday, there were 400 National Guard soldiers and airmen present from the district and surrounding states in anticipation of potential First Amendment demonstrations.

The National Guard monitored traffic control checkpoints in both normal passenger vans as well as military trucks to ensure emergency vehicles had an open lane in order to respond to emergencies, and make sure the flow of traffic was unimpeded around the district and close to the Capitol.

As a public affairs officer, Enriquez’s job is to communicate to the public the National Guard’s mission both in broader scope as well as what their specific mission is at any given time.

Enriquez said he learned skills for his job from the journalism program at North Idaho College, the first school he ever attended.

“(The program) actually kind of sparked the interest for me and the desire to continue this field,” Enriquez said. “I never got my degree, but it’s given me a lot of tools that I use to this very day.”

On the field, he takes photos, videos, conducts interviews and trades visual products or printed stories.

“We’re very busy with supporting law enforcement partners,” Enriquez said.

The mission for the National Guard on Tuesday was controlling traffic around the Capitol during the State of the Union Address. Enriquez said just being there, and being a presence, was important.

Civil support teams provide Wi-Fi in congested areas to the fire department or other emergency services, close off streets for emergency vehicles and other ways of support. Other agencies protect the security of the Capitol building and area for the address.

The National Guard was also in control of covering the airspace over the Capitol. Enriquez said since 9/11, they've been actively involved with their air mission.

Enriquez said he joined the District of Columbia National Guard to participate in history as a serviceman.

“It gives me a tremendous sense of pride and a tremendous sense of participation in the American experience to be able to not only have access to these events, but also to provide a useful service at these events,” Enriquez said of the State of the Union address.

Enriquez said one thing he will never forget is the scene at the Capitol during the President Trump rally and demonstration Jan. 6, 2021. During that time he was in the Army National Guard.

Instead of his usual work as a public affairs officer documenting the event, Enriquez and the other soldier in the same field of work were geared up and waiting in the bleachers of their armory for a call for them to go out as support because they were shorthanded.

Toward evening they were sent to support law enforcement at the Capitol, but weren’t at the front lines.

“The scene was one that I will never forget,” Enriquez said. “There was trash all over the place. I remember there was a big scaffold that had an American flag on it that had gotten torn down.”

He said he had seen the flag earlier that week as part of the preparations for the presidential inauguration, and it was attached to tall scaffolding.

“Someone had taken the effort to go up there and tear down that national symbol,” Enriquez said. “I felt, as a service member, I was going to do everything I could to help restore order.”

Enriquez said as he marched from the assembly area toward where law enforcement was interacting with protesters, he realized all of his training was necessary to face that situation.

“It was very uncomfortable,” Enriquez said. “That was a very impressive moment, one that I’ll certainly never forget, and I know that many people that day had more traumatic experiences.”

In the summer of 2020, Enriquez was able to reunite with some of the Idaho National Guard soldiers who came to the district for support during the George Floyd protests, photographing them and acting as a local guide.

“Even though my wife and I live out here, Idaho is still our spiritual home,” Enriquez said. “The Idaho National Guard was like a new life for me and it’s given me all of the skills that I use to survive and thrive today.”