orT o Jc'b Ll)ell Do..eby Date Paff , Program Manager, Army Guard Contract' Headquarters' Palm Beach Gardens'

itorida and & Shawm Lewis, Chief of Guards, Fort Myer, Virginia

Fort Myer and

Fort McNair PlaY

a critical role in

providing stringent

security for the

Presidential

Inauguration.

or most of us, the holiday season means a

time of relaxation and a slowed work pace

For Chief Shawn Lewis and Captain Larry

Dickerson, the management team for WSI at Fort Myer

and Fort McNair in Washington, D C , the last holiday

season meant increased planning and execution that

did not end until well after the Inauguration ceremonies

for the 44th President of the United States'

Fort Myer, home to the Army's leadership, and Fort

McNair were critical sites throughout the inauguration

celebration Increased security and stringent access

control guidelines were necessary because the sites

were pivotal for response force support and contin-

gency operations, Fort McNair was used as a stag-

ing base for helicopter support and a military reaction

force Fort Myer hosted the Army's Inauguration Ball'

The planning for this event was methodical and me-

tlculous.

Chief Lewis briefed both the Director of Emergency

Services and the Garrison Commander on the security

plan for all events Not only did the plan capture what

actions would occur at the access control points, but it

also included how his officers would physically get to

work. The major roads into Washington D C would be

closed, and the subway system, which is already very

busy, would become even more overcrowded with the

millions of people traveling to be part of this historic

event Chief Lewis's planning even required coordina-

tion with the Secret Service to determine how the Fort

Myer/McNair leadership would travel to and from each

installation

After the planning was complete, Chief

Lewis and his leadership team trained all the

WSI officers to ensure the assigned missions

were understood and would be executed per-

fectly The Garrison Commander addressed

the entire WSI Team to advise them of how

Officer Nathaniet Purdue checks on a visitor'

CPT Larry Dickerson (left) and Chref Shawn Lewis

man their Post

critical they were to the overall success of the mission'

Senior leadership was required to be present at the

sites for the pre-staging of soldiers and equipment at

Fort McNair and at the completion of the Inauguration

Ball at Fort Myer. Captaln Michelle Chapman and Cap-

tain Richard Blackmon from Fort Belvoir and Walter

Reed Army Medical Center volunteered to support the

effort Their assistance was essential to the overall suc-

cess of the mission

Obstacles, such as major road closures' increased

OPTEMPO, increased populace, and 20 degree tem-

perature did not hinder the success of the WSI Team

The performance of the officers, despite the challeng-

es, was phenomenal. Many officers reported to work

as early as eight hours before the start of their respec-

tive shifts; they slept on cots or in cars to ensure their

availability The WSI Fort Myer/Fort McNair Team's ac-

complishments greatly contributed to the overall secu-

rity of these two installations and provided the platform

for a successful inauguration

We give special thanks to Officers Adam Mays'

Blenard Hoxha, Derrick Robinson, Tyrone Lewis' Brian

Brown, Paul Guzan, Sergeant Henry McWilliams' Na-

thaniel Purdue, Sergeant Eddie Stewart' Lieutenant

Jerry Goodin, and Lieutenant Jerron Cheney-Bey for

their hard work, dedrcation and superb leadership in

executing the assigned missions with excellence

6 lconnectionsFALL20O9