Massive security presence didn’t stop many from heading to Washington for inauguration

The heightened security in Washington, D.C., for Wednesday’s inauguration of President Joe Biden didn’t keep people from trying to catch a glimpse of history.

A 10-foot fence lined with soldiers around parts of the National Mall and U.S. Capitol were not enough to keep people like Marcia Smith away.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” Smith told Channel 2′s Richard Elliot.

She ventured down from Connecticut to be in Washington even though she couldn’t get within a mile of the Capitol.

“I wanted to be here, especially the inauguration for the first female vice president of the United States of America,” Smith said.

Chloe Kepple couldn’t get very close either. She told Elliot that she traveled from Dallas, Texas, to be at the inauguration.

“This was my first election I was able to vote in, so it’s definitely something exciting for me that I want to come and witness,” Kepple said.

Shawn and Yvette Henry brought their two sons, Quinn and Miles, all the way from Chicago, even after second thoughts following the riot by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump at the Capitol Jan. 6.

Still, the Henrys told Elliot, it was important to them that their sons see the inauguration firsthand.

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“We love that they understand what democracy is all about, what the whole election process and leading a nation… There may be some people who have different perceptions and different feelings about everything, but this is still a time for us to move forward,” Yvette Henry said.

Soldiers and police braced for potential violence outside the Capitol Wednesday in case there was a repeat of the insurrection.

While there were protesters, there was no violence and no real issues or problems of any kind.

The Georgia National Guard was part of the massive security presence for the inauguration.

Commanding Gen. Thomas Carden confirmed to Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne that Georgia had the fifth largest number of soldiers and airmen protecting the presidential inauguration.

“It’s an honor to be here, to serve the country after the unfortunate events that happened on the 6th. I feel like it’s a great duty to help protect the country,” PFC Darrius Jenkins told Winne.

“I want people to know that we’re highly trained and we’re motivated. We’re ready to go, and we have prepared for almost every situation that can be thrown at us,” PFC Judson Holmes said.

Georgia Army National Guard Lt. Col. John Avera was commander of one of three task forces of Georgia guard members sent north to help protect the inauguration.

“We’ve always been answering our call, but this time we’ve been answering the call here at our nation’s capital, which is something we never expected, but it’s a mission that we are capable of doing. So we’ve been proud that we’ve been asked to do this. That confidence has been entrusted to us,” Avera said. “I told them, ‘Look out for anything that could disrupt the transfer of power that’s taking place today on a very historic day.’ I said, ‘Look for that, report it up. You know your instructions.’”

“Our goal here is to keep the public safe and to keep all the politicians safe and to keep everybody safe so we can go home and keep the peace,” Holmes said.

“I feel like at this time, especially in places like this, we need to start unifying,” Jenkins said.

Georgia National Guard playing big safety role as preparations under way for Biden inauguration Members of Georgia’s congressional delegation say they want to see a peaceful transition of power.

Cox Media Group