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 approximately one third of its support organization. National coordination of various state National Guard units is maintained through the National Guard Bureau.
South Carolina Army National Guard units are trained and equipped as part of the United States Army. The same ranks and insignia are used and National Guardsmen are eligible to receive all United States military awards. The South Carolina Guard also bestows a number of state awards for local services rendered in or to the state of South Carolina.
The South Carolina Army National Guard is composed of approximately 10,000 soldiers (as of February 2009) and maintains 80 facilities across the state with over 2 million square feet (180,000 m2) of space.
National Guard units can be mobilized at any time by presidential order to supplement regular armed forces, and upon declaration of a state of emergency by the governor of the state in which they serve. Unlike Army Reserve members, National Guard members cannot be mobilized individually (except through voluntary transfers and Temporary DutY Assignments, TDY), but only as part of their respective units.
Active duty callups
For much of the final decades of the twentieth century, National Guard personnel typically served "One weekend a month, two weeks a year", with a portion working for the Guard in a full-time capacity. The current forces formation plans of the US Army call for the typical National Guard unit (or National Guardsman) to serve one year of active duty for every three years of service. More specifically, current Department of Defense policy is that no Guardsman will be involuntarily activated for a total of more than 24 months (cumulative) in one six-year enlistment period (this policy was due to change 1 August 2007; the new policy states that soldiers will be given 24 months between deployments of no more than 24 months; individual states have differing policies).
History
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008)
The South Carolina Army National Guard was originally formed in 1670. The Militia Act of 1903 organized the various statemilitias into the present National Guard system.
The South Carolina National Guard's militia predecessors saw action in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican War, American Civil War, and the Spanish–American War.
South Carolina's National Guard first served in their National Guard capacity on the Mexican Border during the Punitive Expedition of 1916–1917. With the United States entry into the First World War, the SCNG was federalized and several key units were composed of National Guard troops from the state. The 118th Infantry of the 30th Division and the 117th Engineers, along with the 105th Ammunition Train, 105th Sanitary Train, 30th Division Sanitary Detachment, and HQ Company of the 30th Division.[9]
The 118th Infantry (formerly the 1st SC Infantry) formed one of the four infantry regiments that made up the 30th Division. The 30th trained at Camp Sevier outside Greenville, SC and was sent to France. The 118th, along with the rest of the division (minus the division's artillery regiment) fought under British Expeditionary Force command. The 30th alongside the 27th Division (the federalized NY National Guard) formed 2nd Corps. After further training with the British, the 30th Division was sent to Kemmel, Belgium (just south of Ypres), where the 118th got their first time in the trenches. Although relatively quiet, the 118th was able to learn a great deal from this experience. In preparation for the last great Allied Offensive, the division trained alongside tanks prior to being moved to the edge of the German Hindenburg Line. On 29 September, the 118th infantry in reserve supported the breaking of the Hindenburg Line by other units of the 30th Division near the French village of Bellicourt. Following this success, the division continued to fight a retreating, but not defeated German Army. They suffered heavy casualties to German artillery, gas, and machine gun fire. The 118th fought until 19 October, not seeing combat again prior to the Armistice. The 118th had six Medal of Honor recipients (two posthumous) in their ranks to include future SCNG Adjutant General James Dozier. Many more men of the regiment were awarded Distinguished Service Crosses and foreign awards for valor.[9]
118th Infantry Regiment Burial Party Brancourt, France 11 Oct. 1918
The first battalion of the 117th Engineers were formed as part of the 42nd Infantry Division. They were joined with men from the California National Guard to create the 117th Engineers. The 42nd, known as the Rainbow Division, earned its name due to the efforts made to create a unit that encompassed men from around the country. The 117th Engineers were tasked with road construction, road repair, construction of shelters, construction and repair of trenches, wiring and cutting of barbed wire, establishing assault paths, and clearing of obstacles. They performed all of these duties in addition to standing in as infantry in several circumstances and policing the battlefield of human remains. They participated in four campaigns: the Champagne Marne, the Aisne Marne, the Saint Mihiel Offensive, and the Meuse Argonne. The 117th served with the 42nd Division through the Armistice.[10]
The 118th Infantry was reactivated in World War Two. The regiment became a Separate Infantry Regiment as the Army restructured with only three, not four regiments making up an infantry division. For that reason, the 118th was not part of the 30th Division like they had been during the First World War. The 118th regiment was first deployed to Iceland. Their purpose was to defend the island nation and Allied assets, from the threat of German invasion. The 118th was eventually sent to England where individual companies served as cadre to train replacements and zero weapons. Elements of the 2nd Battalion protected bridges during the Battle of the Bulge.
An AH-64 Apache of the 151st Aviation Regiment
South Carolina aviation troops and their AH-64 Apache attack helicopters were called to Kuwait as part of Operation Southern Watch between August 1999 and February 2000. As Task Force 151, commanded by LTC David Anderson, the Task Force was augmented by Mississippi and Minnesota Army National Guard units, along with individual personnel from the National Guards of New Hampshire, Arizona, and Washington state.
South Carolina's C Company, 1-151st Aviation was deployed to Kosovo under operational control of 1-104 AVN of the Pennsylvania ARNG (as were National Guard aviation units from Alabama and Nebraska) during KFOR 5A operations from July 2003 to February 2004.
Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC),along with A, B, D, and L Companies of the 1-151st Aviation were deployed as Task Force 1-151st Aviation during Operation Iraqi Freedom II & III from October 2004 to October 2005, where they gained fame flying their AH-64A Apaches in an experimental two-tone grey scheme in support of the 1st Stryker Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Light), and then supported operations of the II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF) in Al-Anbar Province. Task Force 1-151 was augmented with National Guard personnel from Tennessee, Missouri, and Maryland and the Individual Ready Reserve of the Army. L Company, 1-151 was augmented with National Guard personnel from Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio, and Wyoming, serving with distinction during OIF.
In the fall of 2008, a CH-47D Detachment, B Company, 2-238th Aviation was activated in support of OEF, and deployed to Afghanistan. Paired with Illinois National Guard, B Company was split between three different forward operating bases, Bagram, Kandahar/Shank, and Salerno, with each acting independently of the others. The detachment's main missions included resupply, troop movement, and air assaults on high-value targets. B Company, 2-238th Aviation returned home in fall of 2009 after serving with great distinction and perseverance during Operation Enduring Freedom II.[citation needed]
The 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, previously the 117th Infantry Regiment, is an armored brigade combat team of the Tennessee Army National Guard with headquarters in Knoxville, Tennessee. It is the only National Guard Armored Cavalry Regiment and one of only two in the entire US Army order of battle, the other being the active duty 11th ACR. The unit traces its lineage from the volunteer militias of Eastern Tennessee and has participated in conflicts from the Revolutionary War to the Global War on Terror.
The 30th Infantry Division was a United States Army unit of the National Guard that served in World War I and World War II. It was nicknamed the "Old Hickory" division, in honor of President Andrew Jackson. The Germans nicknamed this division "Roosevelt's SS". The 30th Infantry Division, involved in 282 days of intense combat over a period from June 1944 through April 1945, was regarded by a team of historians led by S.L.A. Marshall as the American infantry division that had "performed the most efficient and consistent battle services" in the European Theater of Operations (ETO). In the present day, the division's lineage continues as 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, part of the North Carolina National Guard. The unit's most recent combat deployment was in 2019.
The 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team ("Sunset") is an element in the Oregon Army National Guard. Headquartered at Camp Withycombe, Clackamas, Oregon, it was part of the 7th Infantry Division based at Ft. Carson in Colorado. The brigade traces its lineage back to the 41st Infantry Division.
The Georgia National Guard is the National Guard of the U.S. state of Georgia, and consists of the Georgia Army National Guard and the Georgia Air National Guard. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. The state functions range from limited actions during non-emergency situations to full scale law enforcement of martial law when local law enforcement officials can no longer maintain civil control.
The Oregon Army National Guard is a federally mandated and equipped military organization under the civilian direction of the Oregon Military Department, with the Governor of Oregon as its Commander-in-Chief. It responds to state and national emergencies, military conflicts and natural disasters, and conducts search and rescue operations. While the history of the militia dates back to the establishment of the first Oregon militia in 1843, the present Guard was not established until after 1903. The modern Guard includes citizen soldiers, and its motto is "When we are needed, we are there."
The Alabama Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. National coordination of various state National Guard units are maintained through the National Guard Bureau.
The Colorado Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army, United States National Guard, and Colorado National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization. National coordination of various state National Guard units is maintained through the National Guard Bureau.
The Georgia Army National Guard is the Army National Guard component of the Georgia National Guard, administratively part of the Georgia Department of Defense. It consists of more than 11,100 citizen-soldiers training in more than 79 hometown armories and regional facilities across the state. Georgia’s Army Guard is the sixth largest in the nation and includes combat, combat support and combat service support units.
The North Carolina Army National Guard (NCARNG) is North Carolina's principal military force. The force is equipped by the federal government and jointly maintained subject to the call of either. The professional head of the North Carolina Army National Guard is the Adjutant General.
The Texas Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army, the United States National Guard and the Texas Military Forces.
The Utah National Guard comprises both Army and Air National Guard components. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. The National Guard is the only United States military force empowered to function in a state status.
The 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is a modular infantry brigade of the Georgia Army National Guard. One of the oldest units in U.S. Army history, the lineage of the 48th Infantry Brigade can be traced back to 1825. It is one of few units in the US military that also saw service as a unit of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Today, the 48th IBCT is part of the U.S. Army's "Associated Units" program where it is aligned under the 3rd Infantry Division, a combined arms combat maneuver unit of the Regular Army.
The 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade is a rear area maneuver enhancement brigade of the South Carolina Army National Guard, headquartered at Charleston. It derives its history from the previous 218th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized) (Separate), originally formed from the 2nd Brigade of the former 30th Infantry Division on 1 January 1974. On 1 September 2008, the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment of the 105th Signal Battalion became the Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) of the 218th MEB. On 1 March 2009, the HHC of the 218th Infantry Brigade was consolidated with the HHC of the 218th MEB, becoming the 218th MEB.
In 2009, the United States and NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) coalition, along with Afghan National Army forces, continued military operations against the Taliban in Afghanistan. 2009 marks the eighth year of the War in Afghanistan, which began late in 2001. And 75th ranger regiment is also in Afghanistan as of 2018
The 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team is a brigade combat team of the Mississippi Army National Guard.
The Tennessee Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. It is administered by the Tennessee Military Department. National coordination of various state National Guard units are maintained through the National Guard Bureau.
The 218th Infantry Regiment (First South Carolina) was an infantry regiment of the United States Army National Guard, active between 1947 and 1959. Since 1997, the 218th Regiment has been the Regional Training institute of the South Carolina Army National Guard.
The 118th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the Georgia Army National Guard. The regiment's 1st Battalion is the cannon battalion assigned to the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. It is one of several National Guard units with colonial roots and campaign credit for the War of 1812.
The 51st Military Police Battalion is a military police battalion of the South Carolina Army National Guard. The battalion headquarters is in Florence, South Carolina with subordinate units in West Columbia and Timmonsville.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
United States 
South Carolina 
Army National Guard 
