WEBVTT 00:00.391 --> 00:02.308 - I'm the lead planner. 00:02.731 --> 00:04.070 What that means is that I'm responsible 00:04.070 --> 00:06.265 for the long term planning and continuity 00:06.265 --> 00:10.432 of Joint Task Force National Capital Region's preparations 00:10.434 --> 00:12.184 for the inauguration. 00:13.223 --> 00:15.640 From a long term perspective, 00:16.462 --> 00:19.295 that's personnel planning and budget planning 00:19.295 --> 00:21.503 that starts about five years 00:21.503 --> 00:23.699 before you start the inauguration. 00:23.699 --> 00:26.866 Then it winds up involving things like 00:27.476 --> 00:30.789 how you pass off continuity information. 00:30.789 --> 00:32.923 And then ultimately, it involves some work 00:32.923 --> 00:34.807 with the Presidential Inaugural Committee 00:34.807 --> 00:37.203 and with the Joint Congressional Committee 00:37.203 --> 00:40.201 in terms of liaison and understanding what their intent is 00:40.201 --> 00:44.368 so that we can appropriately plan and support their efforts. 00:46.969 --> 00:50.447 The biggest part of what I do is provide continuity. 00:50.447 --> 00:53.769 We're a mixed civilian and military staff. 00:53.769 --> 00:56.433 So you look, in a situation like that, 00:56.433 --> 00:59.600 you look to the civilians to be people 01:00.480 --> 01:02.690 who have a longer time on station. 01:02.690 --> 01:04.720 Particularly with an event like this, 01:04.720 --> 01:07.220 we talk about an inauguration, 01:07.568 --> 01:10.702 something that happens only once every four years, 01:10.702 --> 01:14.721 most military have rotated in the course of four years. 01:14.721 --> 01:16.724 Some positions have rotated more than one time 01:16.724 --> 01:18.750 in the course of four years. 01:18.750 --> 01:21.776 And so there's not a lot of continuity 01:21.776 --> 01:23.586 on the uniformed side of the house. 01:23.586 --> 01:27.127 But hopefully there is, and a few old folks like myself 01:27.127 --> 01:30.770 that have been involved, this will be my 11th inauguration, 01:30.770 --> 01:34.523 so I've seen it in a variety of different capacities. 01:34.523 --> 01:37.817 This is only my second in this particular responsibility, 01:37.817 --> 01:40.516 but you learn from everything you do. 01:40.516 --> 01:41.806 - [Interviewer] Yeah, so we need people 01:41.806 --> 01:44.680 who have done it before to know how to do it again. 01:44.680 --> 01:45.664 - That helps. 01:45.664 --> 01:47.497 Makes it a lot easier. 01:48.989 --> 01:51.203 Joint Task Force National Capital Region 01:51.203 --> 01:54.978 has a variety of ongoing missions, and many of the personnel 01:54.978 --> 01:57.577 that are assigned to the Joint Task Force are also assigned 01:57.577 --> 02:00.302 to the US Army Military District of Washington. 02:00.302 --> 02:04.039 So the normal ceremonial conduct of operations 02:04.039 --> 02:07.734 in the NCR and the support to the Army leadership 02:07.734 --> 02:10.283 is a part of our ongoing responsibilities. 02:10.283 --> 02:12.533 And so in the headquarters, 02:13.208 --> 02:14.666 there's always what in the military 02:14.666 --> 02:16.252 we would call a 25 meter target. 02:16.252 --> 02:20.008 There's always something tomorrow or next week 02:20.008 --> 02:23.146 or the week after next that's a high priority, 02:23.146 --> 02:26.227 a high visibility event, that the majority of the command 02:26.227 --> 02:28.007 is involved in planning. 02:28.007 --> 02:31.007 And so the challenge for those of us 02:31.433 --> 02:33.968 who are dedicated more specifically 02:33.968 --> 02:36.794 to long term planning for major events like this 02:36.794 --> 02:40.102 is that we're always competing with that, 02:40.102 --> 02:42.786 but there's a, "You wanna talk to me today 02:42.786 --> 02:45.026 "about an event that happens in two years," 02:45.026 --> 02:47.765 and, "I'm focused on the event that happens tomorrow." 02:47.765 --> 02:49.325 And so there's always that challenge. 02:49.325 --> 02:51.819 So you have to identify a few people on the staff 02:51.819 --> 02:53.819 to take that longer view 02:53.934 --> 02:57.200 and to continue to move the staff forward 02:57.200 --> 03:00.236 to do the homework that sets everybody up for success 03:00.236 --> 03:03.403 so that in the last eight, nine months 03:05.162 --> 03:06.491 before the inauguration 03:06.491 --> 03:08.297 when the command starts to turn its attention 03:08.297 --> 03:12.019 more to this operation that we're ready to move forward 03:12.019 --> 03:15.269 and ready to accomplish what needs to be done. 03:15.269 --> 03:18.450 Yeah, it's about getting people and equipment 03:18.450 --> 03:20.994 to the right place at the right time, 03:20.994 --> 03:23.047 equipping them with the knowledge that they need 03:23.047 --> 03:24.980 that's helping them to make the connections 03:24.980 --> 03:26.331 and establish the relationships 03:26.331 --> 03:29.230 with our inter-agency partners that they need, 03:29.230 --> 03:31.308 and then empowering them to do 03:31.308 --> 03:33.724 what they've been trained to do. 03:33.724 --> 03:36.540 So Joint Task Force National Capital Region, 03:36.540 --> 03:39.735 when we begin to work on the inauguration, 03:39.735 --> 03:43.902 what we're mindful of is that this is not an operation 03:44.507 --> 03:47.474 that the Department of Defense is responsible for. 03:47.474 --> 03:51.641 It's an operation that the Department of Defense supports 03:51.695 --> 03:55.548 a variety of partners, the President-Elect's team, 03:55.548 --> 03:58.246 the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, 03:58.246 --> 04:02.413 but also our partners in Capitol Police and Secret Service 04:02.958 --> 04:05.754 and across the inter-agency community. 04:05.754 --> 04:07.855 And those organizations tend to have 04:07.855 --> 04:12.011 a little more dwell time, a little more continuity 04:12.011 --> 04:14.977 than we do in many of our positions. 04:14.977 --> 04:16.988 And so part of what we do when we start 04:16.988 --> 04:21.155 is to pull out the documentation of how we did this in 2013 04:23.451 --> 04:27.618 or how we did this, in the case of the 2017 inauguration, 04:27.922 --> 04:30.005 how we did things in 2009 04:30.214 --> 04:33.225 because that was a first inauguration 04:33.225 --> 04:34.979 for an incoming president, 04:34.979 --> 04:37.729 which is what we will see in '17. 04:38.220 --> 04:40.320 So the first thing is really to pull out 04:40.320 --> 04:44.487 all that information and to take a look across the board 04:45.169 --> 04:48.920 to pass off information to all the individuals 04:48.920 --> 04:52.253 who will be responsible this time around 04:52.411 --> 04:54.247 so that when they go start to go to meetings 04:54.247 --> 04:58.014 with their partners, they have a level playing field, 04:58.014 --> 05:00.328 they have a common understanding 05:00.328 --> 05:02.111 at least of how things have been done in the past 05:02.111 --> 05:04.040 even though they may change. 05:04.040 --> 05:05.957 And so you start there, 05:06.594 --> 05:09.182 and then you start getting out on the ground 05:09.182 --> 05:13.349 and walking the streets and realizing that there are 05:14.259 --> 05:18.046 security barriers in place or a new bench or a new trash can 05:18.046 --> 05:21.219 in a place where you put a command post four years ago, 05:21.219 --> 05:23.537 and maybe it moves or maybe it doesn't. 05:23.537 --> 05:27.704 And so you go through that process of adjusting your plan, 05:28.437 --> 05:30.701 and all of it working on speculation 05:30.701 --> 05:32.691 until after the election. 05:32.691 --> 05:35.357 The Joint Congressional Committee knows what will happen 05:35.357 --> 05:38.469 in terms of the swearing in, at least in general terms, 05:38.469 --> 05:40.168 and they're able to form during the summer 05:40.168 --> 05:41.457 and to start their planning. 05:41.457 --> 05:43.820 But the Presidential Inaugural Committee 05:43.820 --> 05:47.041 obviously can't begin that process until after the election. 05:47.041 --> 05:50.231 So over the course of the next couple of weeks, 05:50.231 --> 05:51.730 we'll start to see representatives 05:51.730 --> 05:53.696 from the Presidential Inaugural Committee 05:53.696 --> 05:57.279 representing the President-Elect coming in, 05:57.722 --> 06:01.139 ready to start to articulate their vision 06:01.478 --> 06:05.645 and then the support that we are prepared to provide 06:06.156 --> 06:09.689 hopefully gets matched up with their vision, 06:09.689 --> 06:11.856 either a challenge or not. 06:13.689 --> 06:15.019 It may be very easy. 06:15.019 --> 06:16.572 It may be somewhat more challenging. 06:16.572 --> 06:19.793 There may be ideas that we've never been asked to do before. 06:19.793 --> 06:21.011 And then we go back and refer 06:21.011 --> 06:22.778 to the guidance that we've received 06:22.778 --> 06:25.752 from the Office of the Secretary of Defense 06:25.752 --> 06:29.002 that defines what we are allowed to do, 06:29.184 --> 06:32.232 work with them, sometimes push back a little bit and say, 06:32.232 --> 06:33.447 "We can help you in this way, 06:33.447 --> 06:35.199 "but we can't help you in that way." 06:35.199 --> 06:37.535 Work ourselves through that process, 06:37.535 --> 06:40.118 and then move forward with them 06:40.202 --> 06:42.700 in the final stages of planning 06:42.700 --> 06:45.783 that all lead up to Inauguration Day. 06:46.273 --> 06:47.978 Well, there are a variety of groups. 06:47.978 --> 06:51.434 Each of the services have special bands and honor guards 06:51.434 --> 06:53.217 here in the National Capital Region 06:53.217 --> 06:56.284 that support the Office of the President, 06:56.284 --> 06:58.066 that support the Office of the Secretary of State 06:58.066 --> 07:01.741 and Office of the Secretary of Defense on a regular basis. 07:01.741 --> 07:03.705 And those assets are employed 07:03.705 --> 07:06.029 during the inauguration, as well, 07:06.029 --> 07:09.528 for the presidential escort to make up most of the manpower 07:09.528 --> 07:13.111 that's involved in support on Capitol Hill, 07:13.126 --> 07:16.519 the military aspects of the parade, of the street cordon, 07:16.519 --> 07:18.224 of support at the White House. 07:18.224 --> 07:19.057 So, 07:19.249 --> 07:22.749 those elements are traditionally involved, 07:23.485 --> 07:24.814 doing many of the same things 07:24.814 --> 07:27.481 that they do on a regular basis, 07:28.176 --> 07:31.926 but doing them in a more concentrated manner, 07:32.716 --> 07:36.883 many more simultaneous events during the inauguration. 07:39.221 --> 07:42.388 The JCCIC and the PIC are our clients, 07:43.444 --> 07:45.682 if you wanna think about it in those terms. 07:45.682 --> 07:47.599 They are organizations, 07:48.747 --> 07:52.914 both somewhat public and somewhat political in nature, 07:54.435 --> 07:57.994 the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies 07:57.994 --> 08:00.631 being a committee, a joint committee, 08:00.631 --> 08:02.269 of the United States Congress, 08:02.269 --> 08:06.436 the Presidential Inaugural Committee being a representative 08:06.955 --> 08:09.847 of the political arm of 501(c)(3) 08:09.847 --> 08:11.993 not for profit organization 08:11.993 --> 08:14.993 that represents the President-Elect, 08:15.153 --> 08:17.785 but they are essentially requesting 08:17.785 --> 08:20.618 military support in certain areas. 08:20.757 --> 08:23.732 We would like to use a Military Color Guard 08:23.732 --> 08:26.225 or the Marine band for the swearing in 08:26.225 --> 08:30.392 or military ushers to assists the guests of the Congress 08:30.399 --> 08:33.693 in finding their seats on Inauguration Day 08:33.693 --> 08:36.551 for the 250,000 people who will be invited 08:36.551 --> 08:39.490 to the swearing in on the Capitol grounds. 08:39.490 --> 08:41.452 And then in accordance with the guidelines 08:41.452 --> 08:43.578 that we've been given by the Secretary of Defense, 08:43.578 --> 08:47.745 then we are generally able to provide that support. 08:48.880 --> 08:51.054 The reality of the world that we live in 08:51.054 --> 08:53.739 is that we are much more security conscious 08:53.739 --> 08:55.239 than we once were. 08:58.239 --> 09:01.752 When I first participated in a presidential inauguration, 09:01.752 --> 09:04.419 it was as a high school student, 09:04.700 --> 09:08.188 participated in President Nixon's second inauguration 09:08.188 --> 09:09.771 in January of 1973. 09:10.786 --> 09:14.953 And at that time, I was part of a 2,000 member element 09:15.625 --> 09:17.966 that was the last element of the parade, 09:17.966 --> 09:19.665 and we were dropped off on buses 09:19.665 --> 09:22.489 out on Independence Avenue here, and we walked over 09:22.489 --> 09:26.656 and we stood around the reflecting pool behind me, 09:26.896 --> 09:29.338 and eventually it was our turn to march and we marched. 09:29.338 --> 09:32.711 There was never any security screening process. 09:32.711 --> 09:35.954 There wasn't a requirement to send in information 09:35.954 --> 09:39.744 to secure Secret Service credentials or anything like that. 09:39.744 --> 09:43.039 It was a different world that we lived in at that time. 09:43.039 --> 09:47.206 And as security requirements have become stricter over time, 09:49.248 --> 09:53.415 that has been probably the most significant change 09:54.224 --> 09:57.391 in the planning and execution process. 09:58.244 --> 09:59.983 So on Inauguration Day, 09:59.983 --> 10:03.650 we'll utilize about 5,000 military personnel 10:04.962 --> 10:07.777 that will participate directly in ceremonies in some way. 10:07.777 --> 10:10.925 There'll be about 800 staff members, if you will, 10:10.925 --> 10:14.592 who will facilitate that, work with staging, 10:15.277 --> 10:18.594 assist the PIC and assist Secret Service 10:18.594 --> 10:21.816 with screening and organization and those kinds of things. 10:21.816 --> 10:24.233 But about 5,000 participants. 10:24.915 --> 10:27.165 Their day will start early. 10:28.435 --> 10:32.210 Their day will probably involve wearing all the layers 10:32.210 --> 10:36.377 that they can possibly fit underneath a dress uniform. 10:36.394 --> 10:38.586 It will involve some kind of screening. 10:38.586 --> 10:41.443 It will involve going into hold areas very early 10:41.443 --> 10:42.760 so that we're in position 10:42.760 --> 10:45.251 long before guests are in position. 10:45.251 --> 10:47.334 And then from that point, 10:48.911 --> 10:51.602 some will participate very early. 10:51.602 --> 10:54.387 Ushers on the Capitol grounds will be in places 10:54.387 --> 10:57.287 as early as six or 6:30 in the morning 10:57.287 --> 11:00.429 and work many of the daylight hours of the day certainly. 11:00.429 --> 11:02.466 Others will begin their days later, 11:02.466 --> 11:05.220 but will be involved in support at inaugural balls 11:05.220 --> 11:06.767 late into the evening. 11:06.767 --> 11:10.015 So I wouldn't say that there was any typical day 11:10.015 --> 11:12.026 other than that it'll be long. 11:12.026 --> 11:15.301 It's January, so we can expect that it'll be cold, 11:15.301 --> 11:19.384 and that it'll be something they'll never forget. 11:20.668 --> 11:23.168 An event like the inauguration 11:24.222 --> 11:28.234 is designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security 11:28.234 --> 11:30.453 as a national special security event. 11:30.453 --> 11:32.020 What that means is that 11:32.020 --> 11:34.722 the United States Secret Service has responsibility 11:34.722 --> 11:37.558 for the overall safety and security of the event, 11:37.558 --> 11:40.141 that FEMA has a responsibility, 11:41.677 --> 11:43.671 that the FBI has a responsibility, 11:43.671 --> 11:46.289 and Capitol Police has a specific responsibility 11:46.289 --> 11:47.973 for safety and security 11:47.973 --> 11:51.182 of the guests of the Congress on Capitol Hill. 11:51.182 --> 11:53.849 But within that construct, then, 11:54.818 --> 11:58.009 of executing a national special security event, 11:58.009 --> 12:00.701 there is an overall committee that involves 12:00.701 --> 12:04.868 all the government agencies that will provide support 12:05.011 --> 12:07.734 and a number of subcommittees that coordinate that support 12:07.734 --> 12:09.462 on a very detailed level. 12:09.462 --> 12:13.295 We participate in many of those subcommittees, 12:14.166 --> 12:17.697 partially so that our inter-agency partners 12:17.697 --> 12:20.967 know where we need to move in the course of the day 12:20.967 --> 12:24.368 in order to execute our responsibilities, 12:24.368 --> 12:27.934 partly so that we can provide capabilities to them 12:27.934 --> 12:31.893 when we have been requested to provide those capabilities. 12:31.893 --> 12:34.476 Secret Service, Capitol Police, 12:36.173 --> 12:38.852 are the primary from a law enforcement standpoint, 12:38.852 --> 12:41.269 but also working very closely 12:41.516 --> 12:44.695 with Washington, DC metropolitan police, 12:44.695 --> 12:46.685 with metro transit police, 12:46.685 --> 12:49.769 with National Parks Service and park police, 12:49.769 --> 12:51.707 with Federal Protective service, 12:51.707 --> 12:54.306 General Services Administration, 12:54.306 --> 12:58.473 the White House liaison and White House Military Office, 12:58.626 --> 13:00.359 a number of agencies. 13:00.359 --> 13:02.609 This is a complicated city. 13:03.723 --> 13:07.010 There are so many different law enforcement jurisdictions 13:07.010 --> 13:09.733 that if you're putting up a press stand 13:09.733 --> 13:13.642 or putting up a trailer to use as a command post 13:13.642 --> 13:16.932 and it's got four wheels or posts on four corners 13:16.932 --> 13:18.971 you might be in four different 13:18.971 --> 13:20.812 law enforcement jurisdictions, 13:20.812 --> 13:22.677 and so the process of coordination, 13:22.677 --> 13:24.346 of permitting of all those things 13:24.346 --> 13:27.008 is perhaps a little more complicated here 13:27.008 --> 13:30.004 than it is in many parts of the country. 13:30.004 --> 13:31.296 The President of the United States 13:31.296 --> 13:33.425 is the Commander in Chief of America's military, 13:33.425 --> 13:34.982 America's Armed Forces. 13:34.982 --> 13:38.181 And there's a very strong tradition in the military 13:38.181 --> 13:40.046 of change of command ceremonies, 13:40.046 --> 13:41.773 change of responsibilities ceremonies, 13:41.773 --> 13:45.856 and that transition of power, of legal authority, 13:46.430 --> 13:49.008 is a significant emotional event 13:49.008 --> 13:53.175 not only for the individual who is assuming command 13:53.501 --> 13:57.668 or being relieved of command, but also for the unit itself. 13:58.299 --> 14:01.725 And so if you take that up to its highest level, 14:01.725 --> 14:04.142 you think about the tradition 14:05.203 --> 14:08.286 and the constitutional basis, really, 14:09.444 --> 14:13.611 of civilian control of the military in the United States, 14:13.759 --> 14:17.176 then this change of command, if you will, 14:17.689 --> 14:20.076 of transition in terms of the Commander in Chief 14:20.076 --> 14:22.499 is something that it's absolutely appropriate 14:22.499 --> 14:25.499 that the military be involved in it. 14:26.272 --> 14:28.939 When we talk about a Color Guard 14:29.681 --> 14:32.245 and carrying the presidential colors 14:32.245 --> 14:33.968 along with the national colors 14:33.968 --> 14:36.255 during ceremonies that are a part of the inauguration, 14:36.255 --> 14:40.422 that that's a responsibility of America's Armed Forces. 14:42.987 --> 14:46.244 One of the traditions that we hang our hat on 14:46.244 --> 14:50.222 is that of what we now call the presidential escort. 14:50.222 --> 14:51.472 And as far back 14:51.741 --> 14:54.752 as President Washington's first inauguration, 14:54.752 --> 14:58.002 there was a participation of, actually, 14:58.677 --> 15:01.756 officers who had served with him in the Continental Army 15:01.756 --> 15:05.589 who escorted him from his lodgings in New York 15:07.018 --> 15:11.185 to the inauguration ceremony, the swearing in ceremony, 15:12.987 --> 15:15.529 and then back to his lodgings afterwards. 15:15.529 --> 15:17.123 I have a personal theory that they all thought 15:17.123 --> 15:20.893 that if they went back to where he was staying for the night 15:20.893 --> 15:23.752 that maybe he'd buy 'em all a drink. 15:23.752 --> 15:27.919 But at any rate, that tradition of a military escort 15:29.408 --> 15:33.437 that participated that was an important part of that day, 15:33.437 --> 15:35.854 both for President Washington 15:36.715 --> 15:39.183 and certainly for the military, 15:39.183 --> 15:41.933 that that tradition has continued 15:42.884 --> 15:47.030 with escorting the president from the swearing in ceremony 15:47.030 --> 15:48.099 back to the White House. 15:48.099 --> 15:51.810 And we'll see that as a military unique capability 15:51.810 --> 15:55.697 where all the services are represented in that formation, 15:55.697 --> 15:58.796 but we'll see that actually preceding the inaugural parade 15:58.796 --> 16:01.169 after the swearing in ceremony. 16:01.169 --> 16:04.752 This will be my 11th, in a variety of ways. 16:05.917 --> 16:08.834 My first, as I'd said, was in 1973, 16:11.399 --> 16:14.820 the Presidential Inaugural Committee decided 16:14.820 --> 16:16.835 that the end of the inaugural parade 16:16.835 --> 16:18.745 would be an appropriate time to kick off 16:18.745 --> 16:22.912 the bicentennial celebration for four years later. 16:23.475 --> 16:27.642 And so they recruited from high school music students 16:28.100 --> 16:30.473 in Fairfax County public schools 16:30.473 --> 16:32.806 a 1,976 member marching band 16:34.741 --> 16:37.454 that was the last element in the parade. 16:37.454 --> 16:40.720 And yes, we practiced on an airport runway, 16:40.720 --> 16:42.313 because you couldn't turn the thing around. 16:42.313 --> 16:44.481 All you could do was drive it straight down the street. 16:44.481 --> 16:46.757 It was a huge band, very unwieldy. 16:46.757 --> 16:49.755 I have no idea what it sounded like. 16:49.755 --> 16:53.505 But because I was a tuba player in those days 16:53.918 --> 16:58.015 and because I was tall, I was the center tuba player 16:58.015 --> 17:02.182 in the back row of this 1,976 member marching band. 17:05.045 --> 17:09.128 And what I remember is that that was really cool, 17:10.249 --> 17:12.796 but the other things that I remember 17:12.796 --> 17:15.741 is being dropped off very early in the morning 17:15.741 --> 17:17.059 and standing around as part 17:17.059 --> 17:19.809 of a huge mob of high school kids 17:20.962 --> 17:23.199 for hours and hours and hours 17:23.199 --> 17:27.366 in what was about a 35 degree drizzly kind of day. 17:27.482 --> 17:30.052 It wasn't a beautiful Washington day. 17:30.052 --> 17:34.219 And being cold and being tired by the time we got started, 17:35.411 --> 17:38.735 but also having a sense of participating in history. 17:38.735 --> 17:41.568 And so I'm still informed by that. 17:45.599 --> 17:46.957 When we talk about, 17:46.957 --> 17:49.431 okay, people in the fifth division of the parade 17:49.431 --> 17:52.014 and what's their day like, too? 17:52.289 --> 17:55.034 It's easy to think about what it's like at the beginning 17:55.034 --> 17:56.062 when the motorcade goes by. 17:56.062 --> 17:57.263 What's it like for the people 17:57.263 --> 17:59.187 who are at the end of the day after dark? 17:59.187 --> 18:00.956 And how do we do what we can 18:00.956 --> 18:02.756 to make that a valuable experience, as well, 18:02.756 --> 18:05.173 and a significant experience? 18:05.179 --> 18:09.346 So there, I missed President Carter's inauguration. 18:09.406 --> 18:11.156 I was away in school. 18:11.485 --> 18:13.485 But then spent, in 2001, 18:17.508 --> 18:19.175 involved as a member 18:19.563 --> 18:22.267 of the United States Army band Pershing's Own 18:22.267 --> 18:25.647 in the presidential escort and in the opening ceremony. 18:25.647 --> 18:28.811 I remember doing the opening ceremony that year 18:28.811 --> 18:30.950 with President Reagan and him coming back 18:30.950 --> 18:34.032 and wading back into the band down at the Lincoln Memorial 18:34.032 --> 18:37.966 and shaking hands and talking to us all on that night 18:37.966 --> 18:40.216 and what a thrill that was. 18:41.469 --> 18:43.774 And then that being in 1981. 18:43.774 --> 18:44.607 Excuse me. 18:44.607 --> 18:47.607 I misspoke a moment ago, but in '81. 18:48.941 --> 18:52.574 '85 was the year that the parade was frozen out, 18:52.574 --> 18:55.749 that everything went indoors because of weather, 18:55.749 --> 18:58.953 but I certainly participated in all the preparations 18:58.953 --> 19:02.286 and rehearsals that went in before that. 19:02.731 --> 19:05.314 Marched in '89, marched in '93. 19:06.651 --> 19:09.051 Participated as one of the band control NCOs, 19:09.051 --> 19:10.462 one of the people who helps 19:10.462 --> 19:14.129 to collect applications for parades in 1997. 19:17.148 --> 19:21.231 As a retired DoD civilian at that point, by 2001, 19:22.446 --> 19:24.980 I was responsible for the planning and conduct 19:24.980 --> 19:28.730 and military support in the opening ceremony. 19:28.965 --> 19:31.931 Moving on from there in 2005 and 2009, 19:31.931 --> 19:34.059 working at the coordination 19:34.059 --> 19:37.059 between the safety and security side 19:37.245 --> 19:40.245 and the ceremonial side for JTF NCR. 19:40.975 --> 19:44.725 And then in 2013, I was fortunate to be asked 19:45.225 --> 19:48.290 to assume my current role as the lead planner. 19:48.290 --> 19:50.287 I joined the Army as a tuba player 19:50.287 --> 19:52.620 in the US Army band in 1980, 19:53.797 --> 19:57.964 began to do drum major work to lead the band on ceremonies. 19:58.013 --> 20:01.263 Did, in the course of a 20 year career, 20:03.658 --> 20:05.523 played in I don't know how many thousand 20:05.523 --> 20:07.497 different ceremonies and concerts, 20:07.497 --> 20:11.057 but participated as a drum major leading the band 20:11.057 --> 20:15.224 in about 1500 ceremonies in the course of that time, 20:15.419 --> 20:17.344 and started to do operations work, 20:17.344 --> 20:20.769 started to do event planning work within the band. 20:20.769 --> 20:24.803 Eventually was asked to come up and do some assisting 20:24.803 --> 20:27.056 when they ran short of hands 20:27.056 --> 20:30.276 in the Ceremonies and Special Events Direct, what then was 20:30.276 --> 20:34.443 the Ceremonies and Special Events Directorate at MDW. 20:34.546 --> 20:36.990 Worked with them on the economic summit 20:36.990 --> 20:41.157 out in Denver in 1997 during the Clinton Administration. 20:43.243 --> 20:45.493 And then had an opportunity 20:46.236 --> 20:48.834 when it came time for me to retire 20:48.834 --> 20:50.233 to move into a civilian position 20:50.233 --> 20:52.950 as a planner here in the headquarters. 20:52.950 --> 20:55.763 I don't think that there are many things 20:55.763 --> 20:59.346 that remind us as a nation that we are one. 20:59.711 --> 21:02.878 I think there's a lot that divides us. 21:03.968 --> 21:05.468 I think that even, 21:06.139 --> 21:10.306 and certainly we've been through a divisive campaign, 21:11.770 --> 21:15.450 but I like to believe that at times like this, 21:15.450 --> 21:17.950 at times like an inauguration, 21:19.496 --> 21:23.663 that we do a pretty good job of coming together as a nation, 21:25.223 --> 21:26.498 starting to at least dream 21:26.498 --> 21:28.517 about pulling in the same direction. 21:28.517 --> 21:30.253 And I think that it's an honor 21:30.253 --> 21:32.753 to be able to facilitate that. 21:34.258 --> 21:36.058 In terms of the process of planning 21:36.058 --> 21:39.001 for the next inauguration, that process, as I said, 21:39.001 --> 21:42.076 from a personnel and budget standpoint has already begun. 21:42.076 --> 21:45.576 But really, one of the key aspects of that 21:45.658 --> 21:49.325 will take place this next February and March 21:50.179 --> 21:53.752 as we capture lessons learned and document what we did 21:53.752 --> 21:55.230 and what we might've done better 21:55.230 --> 21:57.545 so that three years after that, 21:57.545 --> 21:59.204 when people start to open those books, 21:59.204 --> 22:02.416 take a look at things to begin to plan in detail again 22:02.416 --> 22:06.583 for the 2021 inauguration that they can take that knowledge, 22:08.592 --> 22:10.206 immerse themselves in that knowledge, 22:10.206 --> 22:12.451 and then that becomes the basis 22:12.451 --> 22:16.618 for starting to do what we would call a map exercise 22:16.968 --> 22:18.728 to put a big floor map down 22:18.728 --> 22:21.652 and a bunch of little Styrofoam icons 22:21.652 --> 22:25.093 that represent units and security barriers 22:25.093 --> 22:28.585 and trailers and buses and all those things 22:28.585 --> 22:31.198 and start to move them around on the map, 22:31.198 --> 22:34.031 and based on what we did, in 2021, 22:34.180 --> 22:37.237 we'll be looking back at what we did in 2017 22:37.237 --> 22:41.404 and walk our way through that process, take a look at that, 22:41.704 --> 22:45.787 take a look at how that worked and what was done, 22:45.897 --> 22:49.230 and then continue to repeat that process 22:49.495 --> 22:51.828 of doing those map exercises 22:52.235 --> 22:54.045 as we get a more and more detailed plan, 22:54.045 --> 22:56.458 as we understand what the Presidential Inaugural Committee 22:56.458 --> 22:59.668 and the Joint Congressional Committee want us to do 22:59.668 --> 23:02.768 as we look ahead to the next inauguration.