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Hundreds of troops busy planning inauguration

By Staff Sgt. Christine Thompson
December 8, 2004

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Dec. 8, 2004) -- Members of the Presidential Inaugural Committee reported for duty Dec.1 to finalize plans for the inauguration - plans that a task force of service members began working on more than a year ago.

When the world watches President Bush take his oath on the steps of the Capitol Jan. 20, it will be the culmination of a lot of work by the 710 members of Joint Task Force - Armed Forces Inaugural Committee.

JTF-AFIC is a joint-service organization, established by law every four years, charged with coordinating all military ceremonial support during the inaugural period, no matter which candidate wins the election.

"Plans must be very detailed and very flexible," said Army Col. John Spinelli, AFIC chief of staff. He explained that JTF-AFIC could not finalize any plans until after the Presidential Inaugural Committee was established.

The PIC is a private, non-profit committee appointed by the president-elect.

"They (the PIC) are the decision makers for carrying out the president's and vice-president's desires for the inauguration," said Air Force Col. Kasse Andrews-Weller, JTF-AFIC liaison to the PIC. "We have been in a crawl, walk, and skip stage; now we are in a run."

Preparations started when the first few Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen started filtering into temporary offices. For a while they worked at Fort McNair and then relocated into a building in downtown Washington, D.C.

"Planning for this inauguration began nearly 15 months prior to the actual ceremony," said Spinelli. "Early on, the focus was on establishing a sound organization that has the capability to conduct detailed planning and coordination."

Some of the first hurdles JTF-AFIC had to overcome were everyday logistic questions. A personnel policy had to be put in place to serve the hundreds of military members who would be arriving. A computer network had to be established, and everything from telephones to vehicles had to be acquired.

The largest part of the JTF-AFIC budget is used for computers, communications, equipment, supplies, vehicle support, training, utilities and maintenance.

"By the time it is all said and done JTF-AFIC will have about 325 desktop and 65 laptop computers," said Air Force Capt. Glenn Garay, chief, information technology operations branch. "Just in the Operations center alone we have laid 20,000 feet of telephone and computer cable."

All equipment used by JTF-AFIC will be transferred to military units and installations when the committee stands down in March, officials said.

Since the election, JTF-AFIC has transferred the majority of its energy and focus into providing support to the military ceremonial units participating in the inauguration. The JTF-AFIC Ceremonies Division is handling these responsibilities.

"Ceremonies (Division) is actually the part of JTF-AFIC that executes the mission," said Army Maj. Gray Cockerham, Ceremonies Division logistics coordinator.

Their mission is to plan, coordinate and execute joint-service military ceremonial support for inaugural events at theWhite House and U.S. Capitol.

One organization JTF-AFIC coordinates closely with is the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, a bipartisan committee of senators and representatives that execute the president's swearing-in ceremony.

"We (Ceremonies) actually play the biggest role in the sense of getting the public-viewed elements of military support in place," said Coast Guard Capt. Donald Grant, Ceremonies Division deputy director. "All the directorates within JTF-AFIC are in the end supporting us, and we in turn are supporting all of the elements that come in from outside."

The Ceremonies Division is responsible for the color guard at the president's arrival in the East Capitol, the Marine Band "The President's Own", the ushers, the street cordons, and coordinating all the parade support elements.

"I always tell everybody that if you were going to equate it to a football team, we're not the players," explained Grant. "We're the coaches, the trainers, all the support elements to make sure the players, which are all those military ceremonial marching units and bands, all those people, have all the tools, and all the support they need to give the best light to the military for the inauguration."

While Jan. 20 will mark the beginning of a renewed presidential term, it will mean mission complete for the men and women who fill the ranks of JTF-AFIC. They will return to their bases and units with an insider's view of the democratic process.

(Editor's note: Staff Sgt. Christine Thompson serves with the public affairs element of Joint Task Force-Armed Forces Inaugural Committee.)