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TO CONGRATULATE THE SOUTH CAROLINA STATE GUARD UPON THE OCCASION OF ITS THREE HUNDRED FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY AND TO HONOR THE MANY SACRIFICES AND VALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE STATE GUARD TO PROTECTING THE FREEDOM, DEMOCRACY, AND SECURITY OF THIS GREAT STATE.
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina General Assembly are pleased to recognize the South Carolina State Guard as it celebrates this important milestone on May 13, 2020; and
Whereas, as the earliest manifestation of the South Carolina State Guard, the South Carolina militia was first organized in 1670 at Charles Town on Albermarle Point; and
Whereas, throughout its long and storied history, the militia engaged in a number of conflicts, including French and Spanish invasions, an attack on St. Augustine in 1706, the Yemassee Indian War in 1715, an invasion of Spanish Florida in 1749, frontier Indian attacks from 1716 to 1761, including the Cherokee Indian Wars, the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Mexican War in 1846. From 1917 to 1920, the militia was activated to replace South Carolina National Guard units serving in France; and
Whereas, on March 21, 1941, Governor Burnet Maybank signed a law establishing the South Carolina Defense Force; and
Whereas, today, the South Carolina State Guard remains an all-volunteer organization consisting of highly trained and ready professionals operating out of its headquarters in the historic Olympia Armory in Columbia. Its mission is to protect people and property and to help communities recover from serious natural or man-made disasters; and
Whereas, as part of the South Carolina Military Department, the State Guard acts in coordination with the National Guard, law enforcement, and other state, county, and municipal agencies; and
Whereas, the State Guard responded to Hurricane Joaquin, Harvey, Matthew, and Florence, and in 2018 alone, the nearly one thousand members of the State Guard volunteered more than ninety thousand hours to protect the lives and property of South Carolinians alongside federal, state, and local first responders; and
Whereas, State Guard members engage in activities such as search and rescue operations, medical assistance, legal transport, engineering expertise, chaplain and counseling services, the direct distributions of supplies, and military funeral honors for veterans; and
Whereas, the State Guard currently flourishes under the leadership of its commanding general, Brigadier General Leon Lott, and its deputy commander, Brigadier General Michael Langston; and
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina General Assembly greatly appreciate the dedication and commitment of the South Carolina State Guard to serving the people and the State of South Carolina. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:
That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, congratulate the South Carolina State Guard upon the occasion of its three hundred fiftieth anniversary and honor the many sacrifices and valuable contributions of the State Guard to protecting the freedom, democracy, and security of this great state.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to the South Carolina State Guard.
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