We Have A Story To Tell - Episode 4

Major General T. Eston Marchant became the first Adjutant General in decades to send troops into combat in Operation Desert Storm. South Carolina’s 51st and 251st units were called up to serve in Desert Storm, as well as the 169th Fighter Wing of the SC Air National Guard. After Marchant’s 16 year service as Adjutant General, he was succeeded by Major General Stanhope S. Spears in 1994. Like Marchant before him, Spears would send SC Guard Units to other foreign countries such as Bosnia and Kosovo. Whenever not engaged in combat operations, the SC National Guard was busy building roads, bridges, schools and medical clinics in neighboring countries that needed assistance.

The date of September 11, 2001 changed everything for the U.S., which meant changes for the SCNG as well. 9/11 marked the beginning of an operational tempo for the SCNG which has held steady for two decades, including deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq.