SBHS grad joins Armed Forces Inaugural Committee
WASHINGTON
– Sgt. Yesenia Robles, daughter of Maria Juarez from San Juan
Bautista, recently joined the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee, a
committee preparing to support the 56th Presidential Inauguration
on Jan. 20.
AFIC is a joint service committee charged with coordinating all
military ceremonial support for the inaugural period. As a joint
committee, it includes members from all branches of the armed
forces of the United States, including Reserve and National Guard
components.
SBHS grad joins Armed Forces Inaugural Committee
WASHINGTON – Sgt. Yesenia Robles, daughter of Maria Juarez from San Juan Bautista, recently joined the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee, a committee preparing to support the 56th Presidential Inauguration on Jan. 20.
AFIC is a joint service committee charged with coordinating all military ceremonial support for the inaugural period. As a joint committee, it includes members from all branches of the armed forces of the United States, including Reserve and National Guard components.
Robles, a 2002 graduate of San Benito High School, is assigned to the logistics directorate as a light transportation driver. She is currently responsible for driving sedans and vans, completing operator checks and services of assigned vehicles, and will be providing transportation support for the Presidential Inauguration.
Robles is an active duty member of the U.S. Army and has served for five years. She joins AFIC from the 47th Transportation Company at Fort Bliss, Tex.
“It is really exciting to be part of such a special event and to be part of this historical experience,” Robles said.
The U.S. Armed Forces have participated in the presidential inaugurations since April 30, 1789, when members of the Army, local militia units and Revolutionary War veterans escorted George Washington to his first inauguration ceremony at Federal Hall in New York City.
Participation by the armed forces traditionally includes musical units, marching bands, color guards, salute batteries and honor cordons. Soldiers, marines, sailors, airmen and coast guardsmen assigned to AFIC also provide assistance to the Presidential Inaugural Committee, a not-for-profit, partisan organization representing the president-elect, and the Joint Congressional Committee on Inauguration Ceremonies.
The Secretary of Defense has authorized nearly 750 service members to be assigned to AFIC by Inauguration Day to coordinate Department of Defense support in and around the District of Columbia.
Historically, as many as 5,000 service members have participated in the celebration, both in view of the public and behind the scenes. Robles’s role in this year’s inauguration is like that of any other essential military mission during peace or war.
