Replies

Another story that might interest you:

Sanford to honor Reserve commitment
Governor says in letter that he will deploy with his unit if it's activated
By AARON SHEININ
Staff Writer

Gov. Mark Sanford will honor his commitment to the Air Force Reserve and deploy with his unit if called to war.

"As to any orders I receive, I will do just as anyone else in my unit and follow them," Sanford said Tuesday in a letter to Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, who would fill in as governor should Sanford ship out.

Could he actually go?

"Yes, he could get called," said Lt. Col. Chris King, spokesman for Sanford's Reserve unit. "If (the Air Force) said we need the whole unit, yeah, he's gone."

Sanford has said he expected his unit to be activated by June. King said Tuesday there has been no word on whether the squadron will be activated.

Sanford, 42, was commissioned a first lieutenant in the 315th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron on Jan. 30, 2002, nearly nine months after he announced his bid for governor.

While Sanford has met his one-weekend-a-month drill requirements, he has not completed the training necessary as a health services administrator.

King, who previously said Sanford was not deployable, said Tuesday the governor's incomplete training would not prevent him from being activated.

It's also possible, King said, the entire unit will not be activated.

Since his election in November, Sanford has struggled with his Reserve status.

As governor, he said he felt his first commitment should be to the people of South Carolina. He said he considered resigning his commission or asking for a change in status to allow him to continue to serve, but not be subject to deploying with his unit.

Many criticized Sanford for what they saw as waffling on his commitment. Several veterans wrote letters to newspapers complaining that Sanford used his commission for political gain.

On Tuesday, Sanford ended the speculation. He would not comment further, but scheduled a news conference for today.

Reaction to Sanford's decision was positive, although one past critic said Sanford, a Republican, is simply doing what's right.

"We should expect nothing else," said House Minority Leader James Smith, D-Richland, a member of the National Guard since 1998. "I was disappointed when he was considering doing otherwise."

Smith, who serves in the 218th Brigade, headquartered in Newberry, said "there's no question" he would go if called.

Other lawmakers who are in the National Guard said they, too, are willing to deploy.

"If you're going to be in the Guard or the Reserves, it goes without saying that if there is a need to call into federal service, you'd be willing," said state Sen. Robert Hayes, R-York, who has been in the Guard for 22 years.

Bauer's role in state government could become considerably more important should Sanford deploy. The lieutenant governor is a part-time position with mostly ceremonial duties, including presiding over the Senate, but with little real power.

Should Sanford be deployed, Bauer's status would change substantially. The S.C. Constitution says if the governor informs the speaker of the House and the president pro tem of the Senate that he will be unable to carry out his duties, the lieutenant governor becomes acting governor.

In a statement Tuesday, Bauer said, "the people of South Carolina should be assured that all functions of state government will continue uninterrupted."

Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, would be next in line for the governor's office after Bauer.

He applauded Sanford's decision and predicted Bauer would act as "the agent for the governor" in Sanford's absence.

House Speaker David Wilkins, R-Greenville, would be next in line after McConnell.

"I have every confidence that if Governor Sanford is deployed, the team back home will continue the governing process without disruption or delay," said Wilkins, who also praised Sanford.

It was unclear Tuesday whether Sanford would continue to draw his $106,078 salary should he be called to active duty.

Some lawmakers have speculated that Sanford's Reserve commission violates the state constitution's restrictions on dual office-holding. Article IV says the governor may not hold any "office or other commission (except in the militia) under the authority of this state, or of any power."

USC Law School professor Eldon Wedlock said the U.S. Supreme Court ruled many years ago that an elected federal official could serve in the military without violating the U.S. Constitution's ban on dual office-holding.

Staff writers Shelley Hill and Maurice Thomas contributed to this report.