The South Carolina State Guard (SCSG) is the designated

state defense force In the United States, state defense forces are military units that operate under the sole authority of a state government. State defense forces are authorized by state and federal law and are under the command of the governor of each state. ...

for the state of South Carolina. The State Guard maintains its headquarters in Columbia. Battalions are located in the cities of Columbia (1st Midlands Battalion), Charleston (3rd Coastal Battalion), and Fountain Inn (2nd Highland Battalion). The Professional Services Command, including the Judge Advocate General section, Medical Detachment, Provost Marshal Command, Engineering Detachment, Search and Rescue Command (SARCOM), and Chaplains Corp are located at the State Guard HQ in Columbia along with the Chief of Staff Command consisting of the Cyber Security, Communications & Electronic Section, Business Development Section, and Public Affairs.

Status

Organized under Section 25-3-10 of the South Carolina Code of Laws, the State Guard is designated as a protective reserve military force under the command of the South Carolina Military Department and the South Carolina Adjutant General. The SC National Guard Adjutant General is responsible for organizing and maintaining the State Guard to fulfill its missions(Sec. 25-3-10) as stipulated in various sections under Title 25, Chapter 3. Tasked as a state defense force, the State Guard's primary overarching mission is to be prepared to protect and, when called into service by the Governor, protect the citizens and property of the state and uphold the laws of the state. Units are occasionally sent out of state by order of the Governor, as in the aftermath of the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

, after Hurricane Katrina and during the Mexican-American War in the mid-1800s. The State Guard is essentially the modern-day continuation of the South Carolina Militia, which has been in existence in some form since before the United States of America became a sovereign nation. The State Guard is composed of non-conscript volunteers, many of whom are veterans of the federal armed services; the federal military reserves,

South Carolina Army National Guard The South Carolina Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the U.S. Army's available combat forces and approximat ...

, or

South Carolina Air National Guard The South Carolina Air National Guard (SC ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of South Carolina, United States of America. It is, along with the South Carolina Army National Guard, an element of the South Carolina National Guard. As state ...

. When called into service, members of the State Guard are paid according to federal military pay scales (Section 25-3-140: "When units of the State Guard are called into service they shall receive pay equal to the National Guard"). Members are normally not paid for drill or training time but employers are required by law to grant time off for authorized training and call out without discrimination or penalty. Some Federal and State agencies and private employers provide pay continuance to employees during training during work hours under orders. Guard members also receive certain tax and mileage deductions and, when authorized, reimbursement for travel or special training. Assembled SCSG Personnel at SC State House

Assembled SCSG Personnel at SC State House

The Governor of South Carolina has the authority to call into service, the State Guard or any units, at any time the governor deems necessary to protect the lives and property of the citizens of the state, or if there is imminent danger or to protect the laws of the state (Section 25-3-20 & Section 25-3-130). The Governor can also activate units of the State Guard when a significant number of the South Carolina National Guard are out of state for federal service or when augmentation is needed. To fulfill its state mandated mission, the State Guard maintains a provost marshal detachment (PMD), composed of trained and certified law enforcement officers. These State Guardsmen receive continuous and rigorous training for law enforcement augmentation and other missions as directed. When activated, the PMD may augment state and local law enforcement agencies by contributing armed or unarmed State Guardsmen to assist law enforcement in many different capacities.

History

Origins

The South Carolina State Guard history traces its history back to the Charleston Militia in 1670. Former Commanders and Brigade Commanders include

Francis Marion Brigadier-General Francis Marion ( 1732 – February 27, 1795), also known as the Swamp Fox, was an American military officer, planter and politician who served during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. During the Ameri ...

, Andrew Pickens,

Thomas Sumter Thomas Sumter (August 14, 1734June 1, 1832) was a soldier in the Colony of Virginia militia; a brigadier general in the South Carolina militia during the American Revolution, a planter, and a politician. After the United States gained independe ...

and

William Washington William Washington (February 28, 1752 – March 6, 1810) was a cavalry officer of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, who held a final rank of brigadier general in the newly created United States after the war. Primarily ...

who recaptured the South from British occupation in concert with Continental forces under Major General

Nathanael Greene Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependabl ...

. The frigate ''

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

'' commanded by the naval component of the State Guard was responsible for capturing tons of gunpowder from the British to supply the state and Continental Armies in the early stages of the war. State Guard troops were instrumental in defeating the Spanish and securing Florida in the early 1800s and they served with distinction in the War with Mexico, the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, and the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

20th century

The outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

pushed the U.S. government and military to prepare for possible conflict. If the U.S. entered the war, the

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

would be ordered to

active duty Active duty, in contrast to reserve duty, is a full-time occupation as part of a military force. In the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations, the equivalent term is active service. India The Indian Armed Forces are considered to be one ...

overseas, leaving no military force at home to maintain order. Because of this, the

National Defense Act of 1916 The National Defense Act of 1916, , was a United States federal law that updated the Militia Act of 1903, which related to the organization of the military, particularly the National Guard. The principal change of the act was to supersede prov ...

was amended on October 21, 1940, to allow the establishment of state defense forces. The South Carolina Legislature's

enabling act An enabling act is a piece of legislation by which a legislative body grants an entity which depends on it (for authorization or legitimacy) the power to take certain actions. For example, enabling acts often establish government agencies to car ...

to establish a state defense force was an Act Establishing the South Carolina Defense Force, signed into law by Governor Burnet R. Maybank on March 21, 1941. The South Carolina Defense Force (SCDF) was organized into a

headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

, four

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

s of three

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

s each, and at least one independent battalion. Initially those wishing to enlist or be commissioned had to be between the ages of 21 and 55, in good health, and of good character. The minimum age quickly fell to 17 and there are indications that a few men served at an even younger age. The uniform was to be

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

gray. This was changed to standard

G.I. G.I. are initials used to describe the soldiers of the United States Army and airmen of the United States Air Force and general items of their equipment. The term G.I. has been used as an initialism of "Government Issue", "General Issue", or " ...

Olive Drab by 1943. The initial armament was the

M1917 Enfield rifle The M1917 Enfield, the "American Enfield", formally named "United States Rifle, cal .30, Model of 1917" is an American modification and production of the .303-inch (7.7 mm) Pattern 1914 Enfield (P14) rifle (listed in British Service as Rifle No. ...

, later changed to a mix of

rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...

shotgun A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small p ...

Thompson submachine gun The Thompson submachine gun (also known as the "Tommy Gun", "Chicago Typewriter", "Chicago Piano", “Trench Sweeper” or "Trench Broom") is a blowback-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed selective-fire submachine gun, invented by United Stat ...

s, and a few larger weapons. The men of the SCDF were

volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

, serving without pay unless called into active service by the governor. The authorized strength was 518 officers and 6,035 enlisted men. According to the Adjutant General's report of 2 July 1941 there were 191 officers and 3,060 enlisted men enrolled as of June 30, 1941. (Among the officers was Strom Thurmond, then a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in Company L (Edgefield), 3d Battalion, 1st Regiment). By the spring of 1942, the number enrolled had risen to over 6,000. The mission of the SCDF — renamed the South Carolina State Guard (SCSG) in January 1944 — was to defend against invasion along the South Carolina

coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...

and assist local officials in providing

internal security Internal security is the act of keeping peace within the borders of a sovereign state or other Self-governance, self-governing territories, generally by upholding the national law and defending against internal security threats. Responsibility fo ...

, including

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

. While invasion by sea was unlikely, there was a fear that the Germans might

land forces Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various islan ...

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

. The SCDF was tasked with holding off enemy forces until troops could be brought in from Fort Jackson. Most of the time the men drilled and conducted defensive exercises to prepare them in the event an invasion did occur. Occasionally they were called out to provide security for crashed aircraft or after

natural disaster A natural disaster is "the negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the event that it significantly harms a community". A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage property, and typically leaves some econ ...

. The last official activation of the SCSG was to provide security in Greenville after the Ideal Laundry fire in November 1946. The last known wartime unit, Company E (Greenville), 2d Battalion, 2d Regiment, was mustered out on 8 August 1947.

Modern era

On 27 February 2018, the

Governor of South Carolina The governor of South Carolina is the head of government of South Carolina. The governor is the '' ex officio'' commander-in-chief of the National Guard when not called into federal service. The governor's responsibilities include making year ...

Henry McMaster Henry Dargan McMaster (born May 27, 1947) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 117th governor of South Carolina since January 24, 2017. He is a member of the Republican Party. McMaster worked for U.S. senator Strom Thurmond, in ...

, signed an

executive order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of th ...

declaring a

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...

in the state's prisons due to the high amount of

contraband Contraband (from Medieval French ''contrebande'' "smuggling") refers to any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold. It is used for goods that by their nature are considered too dangerous or offensive in the eyes o ...

, such as cell phones, being smuggled into the state's prisons. The executive order directed the SCSG to assist the

South Carolina Department of Corrections The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) is the agency responsible for corrections in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It currently has about 4,500 employees and just over 15,000 inmates, in 21 institutions. The agency has its headqu ...

in securing the prisons by staffing and patrolling the exterior of the state's correctional facilities. In September 2018, 285 State Guardsmen were activated to serve alongside the National Guard during

Hurricane Florence Hurricane Florence was a powerful and long-lived Cape Verde hurricane that caused catastrophic damage in the Carolinas in September 2018, primarily as a result of freshwater flooding due to torrential rain. The sixth named storm, third h ...

. November 2019, the State Guard chartered the “Swamp Fox” Explorer Post 1670 through the national division of

Exploring (Learning for Life) Exploring is an interactive, worksite-based career education program of Learning for Life, an affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America. Participants in the program are called ''Explorers''. The program serves youth in 6th-8th grades (Exploring clu ...

for youth 14 to 20 years of age. In April 2020, members of the South Carolina State Guard were activated to assist in South Carolina's response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Preparing for a potential shortage of hospital space, SCSG engineers vetted potential alternate care locations throughout the state against criteria from the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

. In Charleston, the SCSG assisted the

Medical University of South Carolina The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is a public medical school in South Carolina. It opened in 1824 in Charleston as a small private college aimed at training physicians and has since established hospitals and medical facilities acr ...

by transforming a wellness facility into a 250-bed field hospital for potential patients.

Insignia and uniform

The State Guard currently wears standard US Army OCPs with modified black and grey nametapes. The left shoulder holds the State Guard patch and brigade/detachment identification tab while the right shoulder holds the SC State Flag and federal service unit patches, if applicable. Prior service soldiers may also wear skill badges earned while in federal service. SCSG

dress uniform Full dress uniform, also known as a ceremonial dress uniform or parade dress uniform, is the most formal type of uniforms used by military, police, fire and other public uniformed services for official parades, ceremonies, and receptions, incl ...

s are similar to the U.S. Army Service Uniform (Class A and B) with distinctive unit insignia. Soldiers may wear all ribbons and awards earned while in federal service in addition to any earned while in service of South Carolina.

Legal protection

Employers within the borders of South Carolina must, under South Carolina law, grant a

leave of absence The labour law concept of leave, specifically paid leave or, in some countries' long-form, a leave of absence, is an authorised prolonged absence from work, for any reason authorised by the workplace. When people "take leave" in this way, they are ...

to employees who are members of the South Carolina State Guard (or any other state's state defense force) whenever they are activated for training or in response to an emergency mission. Employers are required to reinstate these employees to their employment position when they return from their deployment, without loss of seniority, status, or salary.