AUGUST 27, 2025 – “It was chaotic — people were running and screaming,” said Army Staff Sgt. Zachary Graham, a member of the South Carolina National Guard assigned to the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force, Joint Task Force District of Columbia.
Moments earlier, a man had been struck by a train and thrown across a Washington Metro station platform in Washington, Aug. 20. Graham and his fellow soldiers, all members of the 4th Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment, immediately secured the scene, called 911 and assisted first responders in rendering first aid, ultimately reviving the man to the point that he was conscious and moving when EMTs transported him.
“Everybody was panicking but able to keep a clear head and make the phone call to 911 to get an ambulance on the way,” said Army Spc. Nicholas Garrison, who was on patrol with Graham at the NoMa-Gallaudet U Metro station. “Our presence was important for getting him help as quickly as possible.”
This was one of several life-threatening incidents in the past week where members of the task force were first on the scene to provide aid to local citizens and assist local authorities.
In an event at Union Station, two D.C. Army National Guard military police officers were conducting a joint patrol with the Amtrak Police Department, Aug. 15, when they encountered an unconscious man.
Army Sgt. Jay Whited, a team leader assigned to the 372nd Military Police Battalion, said the man appeared to have fainted and did not look well. They resuscitated him and contacted emergency services. Whited said the police suspected the man was experiencing a narcotic overdose and asked the guard members to help secure the scene while they administered naloxone, a medication used to reverse the effects of opiates.
“We are pretty uniquely positioned here, like all National Guard units, but even more so because it’s D.C. and it’s so small,” he said. “We are uniquely experienced as well, and we integrate with local agencies well because we have done it so many times.”
In addition to the metro incidents, guard members intervened during the assault of a U.S. Park Police officer, alerted the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department to a man brandishing a knife and making verbal threats at the Waterfront Washington Metro station and helped the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration locate a missing child in southwest Washington.
Army Brig. Gen. Leland D. Blanchard, interim commanding general of the D.C. National Guard, stated that approximately 2,000 guard members are supporting the task force and providing critical assistance to local law enforcement officers.
“The members of the District of Columbia National Guard are highly trained and capable of assisting our interagency partners to keep our district safe,” he said.
By Army Master Sgt. Whitney Hughes