National Guard: “We are not logistically able to accept donations of any kind.”

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) — The National Guard announced it cannot logistically accept donations of any kind for its members in Washington D.C. ahead of the presidential inauguration.

More than 20,000 members of the National Guard from 30 states have been assigned to the nation’s capital amid threats of violence following the breach at the U.S. Capitol last week.

Images shared online and on the news show guardsmen resting on the floor of the Capitol building, however, Major Scott Drugo of the Virginia National Guard said they were resting in-between shifts and the public should not be led to believe the floor was their sleeping quarters.

“They have put us in hotels and we’re fed three meals a day so nobody’s starving,” Drugo said.

Drugo is from Harrisonburg and was deployed to Washington, D.C. where is his assisting with the National Guard’s public affairs team.

Despite an online movement to raise money and collect donations, Drugo echoed the National Guard’s press release which said the security personnel work in shifts and rest when they can as others stand watch.

Accepting donations, Drugo said, would be a feat in itself and is just not logistically possible, but he and others express gratitude for the well-meaning intentions.

“We appreciate the many offers online by local communities and we’re totally here for the community,” Drugo said. “Without that community support, we wouldn’t be the force that we are.”

Overall, Drugo said morale among the National Guard members has been good. “Everything’s working fine. We’ve got beds. We’re well taken care of but we do definitely appreciate the public trying to lean forward and help us out,” he said. “We’ve got everything covered for now.”

Drugo added people should stay home and avoid Washington D.C. because “traffic is going to be a fiasco and we’d like to reduce the crowds to keep the peace and quiet.”

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