ATLANTA — Members of the Georgia National Guard have returned home, "after answering the nation’s call" to guard the United States Capitol during last week's inauguration of President Joe Biden.
National Guard troops from across the country were brought into Washington, D.C. for the Jan. 20 ceremony in a move to step up security. It came after the violence that unfolded weeks earlier, when President Trump supporters formed an angry mob and overran police and security to storm the Capitol.
“We will stand and deliver for our state and our nation," Maj. Gen. Tom Carden, the Adjutant General of the Georgia National Guard, said in a statement. "We will do so with professionalism and shared values that define our organization."
In all, at least 25,000 National Guardsmen were authorized to conduct security, communication and logistical missions in support of federal and District authorities leading up and through the 59th Presidential Inauguration.
Photos: Georgia National Guardsmen help protect Inauguration
Officials said a handful of volunteers with the Georgia branch have stayed behind. Those remaining in DC will meet up with a new, smaller group of roughly 100 Georgia Guardsmen in the coming days, officials said.
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The small group, made up of Georgia Army National Guard and Georgia Air National Guard members, will travel to DC and assist with residual security requests from the Capitol Police, the Park Police, and the United States Secret Service, according to officials.