Essential government personnel

A small news item just caught my attention. The president, by executive order, gave federal employees the Dec. 26 off because if fell on a Friday this year. In truth, he is following a tradition here and not breaking new ground with this order.

For some reason, the vignette made me think about the many days, while I was in Congress, that the federal government shut down for mostly weather-related events and how inconsequential were the effects. One such event stands out, however. One weekend, two feet of snow fell, and the city and region were completely paralyzed. On Monday the storm continued to rage. All schools and most businesses were closed. So were most major highways as visibility was near zero. The wind made the snow feel like tiny shards of glass biting into every inch of exposed skin.

Of course Congress shut down, and the National Guard was called out to patrol roads for stranded motorists. Public transportation came to a halt. All non-emergency travel was banned, and an appeal went out to stay off the roads. Milk, bread, candles and batteries were gone from every store for miles around. Of course that would happen when the weather report predicted even two inches of snow.

There was a growing concern about roofs collapsing under the weight of the snow, and indeed, the roof of a building which was part of the Smithsonian Institution had caved in. Thousands of people were without power, and crews could not get to the downed power lines to repair the breaks. Two hundred and thirty thousand federal employees were sent home the Friday before, in anticipation of the storm! These were identified as "non-essential personnel."

Think of it, almost a quarter million government employees in just the District of Columbia are deemed "non-essential"!

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However, I remember seeing the picture of someone who defied that description. There he stood, straight as an arrow, looking almost like a statue that was unmoved by the ferocity of the storm. As you look at him you shivered to think about how cold it must be to stand there and silently brave the fury of the storm.

You wonder what is going through his mind and whether or not he will soon himself succumb to nature's wrath and seek shelter from the storm – even if it is just for a minute of warmth. But of course, he will not. He's going to stand there till relieved. He stands there, as silent as the cold marble that stands atop the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, whom he guards. He is truly essential personnel.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

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