July 15, 2024 – Hartford, Wi – The Hartford Police Department Color Guard will be in the spotlight as the PD will be presenting the National Colors for the opening of the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, on Monday, July 15, 2024.
Scott Lawrence is Chaplain for VFW Post 8834 in Hartford and he is also the military liaison with the Republican National Convention.
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Lawrence said the RNC got in touch with him two weeks before the event to request his assistance.
“[The RNC] contacted me through one of my networking people to potentially set up military color guards,” said Lawrence, “Monday night, the Hartford Color Guard is doing the opening ceremony.”
The RNC point of contact had been looking for law enforcement groups to participate in the RNC opening ceremony and Lawrence was the go-to person for the task.
“I know a lot of the local sheriff’s departments all are back filling because of all the security issues,” said Lawrence about staffing the RNC security.
“But I said, my hometown has a police department with a great color guard. Let me ask them.”
When Lawrence approached the Hartford Police Department about the opportunity, he said they were on “cloud 9.”
“They are very professional. They look sharp. It wasn’t even a thought in my mind not to call them,” said Lawrence.
The Hartford PD Color Guard responded with equal enthusiasm. “This actually happened on Friday,” said Lawrence, “We started putting this together relatively quickly.”
As a member of the Hartford VFW, Lawrence thought it would also be a good idea to offer to do the closing ceremony with the military group.
The request was denied by the national VFW. No military groups will be performing at the RNC event. “We got shot down by the national VFW. I’m very, very upset about this,” said Lawrence.
At this time, Lawrence was unsure how many people would make up the Color Guard for the event. Michael “Mike” Kolbach will be calling the commands for the Hartford PD Color Guard at the event.
In 2015, Mike was hired by the Hartford Police Department. In addition to his patrol officer duties, Michael serves as one of the department’s Unmanned Aircraft Pilots, Cadet Mentor, Honor Guard Member, DARE Instructor, and PBT Calibrator.
“It’s humbling, overwhelming” to be a part of the RNC Convention. “I can’t even tell you. It’s a huge honor. Even cooler than the Super Bowl,” said Lawrence.
If you wish to watch them in action, turn on CSPAN at 530 p.m.
The 2024 Republican National Convention will take place July 15–18 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The goal of the Republican National Convention is to officially nominate and confirm a candidate for president and vice president, adopt a comprehensive party platform, and unify the party, as well as publicize and launch the fall campaign.
Delegates from all 50 U.S. states and from American dependencies and territories, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, attend the convention and cast their votes. -source, Wikipedia
