For the past month, National Guard troops deployed in Washington D.C. have been patrolling low-crime areas and picking up garbage. NPR spoke to some of them to get their perspective on the mission.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

A month after President Trump declared an emergency and ordered the National Guard into Washington, D.C., the troops are picking up garbage and patrolling train stations in low-crime areas. Steve Walsh, with WHRO in Norfolk, spent a couple of days in D.C. getting the troops’ perspective on the mission.

STEVE WALSH, BYLINE: Two guardsmen stand outside a metro station in downtown Washington, D.C. While we talk, a commuter thanks them and hands one of them a note written on the back of a business card.

UNIDENTIFIED NATIONAL GUARD MEMBER #1: (Reading) Thank you for your service to our country, and please remember your oath to the Constitution as well as your duty to disobey illegal orders.

WALSH: The words are actually a reference to Hugh Thompson Jr., who reported his fellow soldiers during the Vietnam War, bringing to light what would be known as the My Lai massacre of civilians. These young guardsmen have a hard time making out the words, but still, they don’t think the warning is quite right for the D.C. deployment.

UNIDENTIFIED NATIONAL GUARD MEMBER: I think there was a misunderstanding of why we’re here. People were assuming the worst-case scenario, and now that we’ve kind of settled in our role, what we do here, I think people are finally understanding that we are here to help.

WALSH: We’re protecting the identity of these two guardsmen and others who gave us their boots on the ground assessment of their mission because they are not authorized to speak publicly. I found clusters of two and three Guard troops at metro stations downtown and in Dupont Circle in Georgetown, areas mostly known for restaurants and nightlife.

UNIDENTIFIED NATIONAL GUARD MEMBER: A lot of people have pointed out that the guardsmen are in areas where there’s not a lot of crime, which is the point. We’re here so the local police don’t have to come here, and local police can go crack down on crime and make their arrests. That’s not what we do. We’re not here arresting people.

WALSH: NPR found guardsmen from Ohio, West Virginia, and Louisiana over 48 hours at various times of day and night, including 8 in the morning on the National Mall.

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WALSH: David Diamond (ph) lives outside of New Orleans. He approaches a group of Louisiana Guardsmen outside the World War II memorial.

DAVID DIAMOND: They’re going to go where they’re told to go. And so regardless of the politics involved, I’m grateful for their service.

WALSH: Diamond was happy that the Louisiana Guard was deployed to New Orleans ahead of the Super Bowl after a motorist drove through a crowd in the French Quarter, killing several people. The Trump administration has contemplated sending more troops outside their home states to cities around the country, including Memphis and Chicago, over the objection of local authorities. States with Republican governors, including Virginia, have volunteered troops to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Many of the guardsmen patrolling D.C. had not been to the nation’s capital before, except as students on school trips. One Guard troop says she doesn’t know the city well enough to notice any change.

UNIDENTIFIED NATIONAL GUARD MEMBER #2: I’ve heard mixed things about how people say that it does seem like the crime rate has been lower, and then some people have said that it’s always been safe and that we’re, like, not really needed here. So I’ve heard both things.

WALSH: The last time one sergeant had been in the city was in the wake of the January 6, 2021, storming of the Capitol. That year, the Guard deployment grew to more than 20,000 troops, leading up to the inauguration of Joe Biden.

UNIDENTIFIED NATIONAL GUARD MEMBER: We were in hotels in ’21. So it’s the same hotel – different hotel, but same environment – meals, rest.

WALSH: There are roughly 2,300 guardsmen deployed to D.C. this time. Their mission has been extended into November.

For NPR News, I’m Steve Walsh in Washington.

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