PHOTOS: The National Guard Protects the Lincoln Memorial

The Washington, D.C., National Guard was deployed to the Lincoln Memorial this week after it was vandalized by rioters on Sunday night.

"My first and highest duty as president is to defend our great country and the American people. I swore an oath to uphold the laws of our nation, and that is exactly what I will do," President Trump said during remarks in the Rose Garden on Monday. "I am dispatching thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel, and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults, and the wanton destruction of property."

Here are some photos of the troops working to keep the monument safe.