First female SC Guard general to retire

A retirement ceremony will be held Thursday for Brig. Gen. Darlene M. Goff, the first female general officer in the S.C. National Guard.

Goff served for 37 years, enlisting in 1977 and receiving her commission to 2nd lieutenant in 1981.

In 2010, she was promoted to brigadier general and became the Guard’s Assistant Adjutant General – Army. In 2012, she was appointed to her current position as the Director of Joint Staff – South Carolina National Guard.

Maj. Gen. Robert E. Livingston, Jr., the adjutant general of South Carolina, called Goff “a rare jewel” and cited her insight into people and her ability to elicit the best efforts out of a diverse group.

“Her emphasis on diversity in thought as well as traditional diversity enables our organization to be greater than the sum of the whole,” Livingston said.

This story was originally published April 29, 2015 at 7:38 PM with the headline "First female SC Guard general to retire."