Nevada Guardsmen To Work Security at Olympics for Two Weeks

The group of 132 guard members left Nellis Air Force Base Thursday morning for Atlanta, where they will do everything from check vehicles for bombs to conduct crowd control. They are just a few of the 11,000 Army and Air National Guard members who are assisting at the games from June 1 to Aug. 30.

The Department of Defense requested the deployment several months ago as part of a $14.5 million Olympics security mission. The 152nd Security Police of the Nevada Air Guard in Reno sent 27 members on July 15 for a two-week mission. Neither deployment was in response to heightened security concerns.

"On something like this they're always given several weeks notice because they have to talk to their employers and make arrangements," said Lt. Col. Chris Anastassatos.

The majority of the guardsmen in the Las Vegas-based 72nd Military Police Company are skilled in law enforcement and security, and were chosen for that very reason, he said. Many prison guards in Ely make up the detachment there, while numerous Las Vegas Metro Police officers belong to the unit also.

"They ran the POW camps in Desert Storm," Anastassatos said. "Their level of experience is very high, and they're older - like in their 30s - than an Army security police unit where you might find 25-year-olds."

Anastassatos said the trip fulfills the guard members' two-week National Guard requirement. Their meals and lodging are paid for, and the average pay for soldiers is between $800 and $900.

"Just being in the environment will be a thrill," Anastassatos said. "They were issued two extra uniforms so they'll look good."

The guardsmen took their 9mm pistols, which Anastassatos said is standard procedure, but will not be carrying them while they're on duty.

The guard members will work 12-hour days and commute two hours each way by bus to the Olympic Village. They are staying in a housing facility along nearly 3,000 people and only six phones, he said.

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