Fallen SC soldiers honored with memorial

Members of the South Carolina Army National Guard, family and friends gathered at the Graniteville Armory on Saturday to dedicate a memorial to three fallen comrades from the Guard’s 1221st Route Clearance Company who were killed in combat.

Sgt. Luther “Will” Rabon, 32, of Lexington, and Staff Sgt. Willie Harley, 48, of Aiken, were killed Oct. 1, 2010, in Paktika province, Afghanistan, when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Matthew Dillon, 25, of Aiken, served in the unit and was injured in Iraq in 2004 and awarded the Purple Heart. While serving again in Iraq, this time as a Marine, he was killed Dec. 11, 2006, by a roadside bomb.

The unit is based in Graniteville, in Aiken County.