In the South Side of Chicago, few people seemed braced for President Donald Trump's troops.
But many here would tell you about another battle - one for the souls of the young.
We drove through neighbourhoods notorious for their levels of violent crime. In one, Bronzeville, we went to the spot where seven people were shot and wounded in a drive-by attack last weekend.
It was a block from Chicago Police HQ. The casualties were among at least 58 people shot, eight fatally, across the city over the Labor Day holiday weekend.
Rob White, a coach to young men trying to reverse their slide into gangs, told us: "You can imagine how the residents feel like with this [stuff] happening right up under their nose," referring to the attack that took place close to a giant, fortified police building.
