Let the South Carolina National Guard lead in Washington, D.C. | Opinion

South Carolina knows leadership well. The Palmetto State has long shown what it means to rise to the occasion.

From the earliest days of the American Revolution, South Carolina has been a proving ground for courage, strategy and service. Figures like Francis Marion redefined guerrilla warfare, while later generations carried that legacy forward in equally daring ways.

During the Civil War, South Carolina’s waterways became the stage for one of the most audacious military operations in Union history, guided by Black River pilots like Samuel Hayward and Charles Simmons, whose intimate knowledge of the Combahee River allowed Union gunboats to evade Confederate torpedoes and liberate hundreds.

Col. James Montgomery, an abolitionist commander, led the charge with precision, backed by a network of Sea Island nurses and teachers, many of whom were formerly enslaved, who provided care, intelligence and community trust.

These unsung collaborators embodied the same tactical brilliance and moral clarity that defined South Carolina’s earliest patriots. The same blend of courage, coordination and community trust now defines our modern stewards of readiness.

That mantle has been passed to groups like the South Carolina National Guard. Folks worry that expanding the National Guard’s responsibilities and deploying 200 troops to Washington, D.C., could dilute its effectiveness. But South Carolina has always thrived under pressure.

During Reconstruction, the state became a laboratory for civic rebuilding, balancing federal mandates with local ingenuity. Even in the aftermath of the Civil War, a time of profound upheaval, South Carolinians struggled to reimagine governance, education and infrastructure under extraordinary constraints.

Today, under the direction of national leadership orders, our National Guard units, despite experiential angst by some, participate in joint exercises that integrate emergency response with national security operations, demonstrating that versatility is not a liability but a leadership asset.

South Carolina doesn’t just adapt to change; the state models how to lead through it.

When natural disasters strike, South Carolinians don’t just endure. We organize, innovate and rebuild.

During the 2015 floods, emergency personnel worked alongside nonprofit organizations, faith communities and local governments to create one of the most efficient recovery efforts in the Southeast.

Columbia’s coordination hubs, Charleston’s flood mitigation strategies, and Horry County’s wildfire protocols serve as models studied by states nationwide. Our readiness is not reactive; it is relational, rooted in trust, collaboration and foresight, both historically and in the modern day.

Speculation about future storms often centers on vulnerability. But South Carolina’s history tells a different story. After Hurricane Hugo in 1989, our state did not just recover. We reexamined our infrastructure and collaborated with partners who reimagined the new possibilities that were frankly unpopular, but that’s leadership innovation.

Today, our coastal cities lead in climate adaptation, our Midlands communities continue to perfect through exhaustive exercises on emergency preparedness alert systems, and our rural counties have pioneered mobile response units because membership matters.

In the national spotlight, South Carolina continues to shoulder responsible hope by hosting presidential debates, leaning in on shaping education reform and leading bipartisan efforts on veteran and planet care. The state of South Carolina does not wait to be rescued. We are leaders, setting an exemplary standard.

For the record, have we made monumental historical wrongs? Why yes, South Carolina has.

But that is not a reason why the National Guard’s traditional role should remain narrowly defined. Whether by federal force or South Carolina tradition, the Palmetto State has worn leadership transformation well. From the Revolutionary War to Reconstruction, from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement, our state has redefined service to meet the challenge of the moment.

Today, with evolving national priorities, our South Carolina National Guard is uniquely positioned to demonstrate how emergency response and broader federal missions can coexist. South Carolina leadership means embracing complexity through the embodiment of agency, integrity and accountability. True South Carolina leaders never shy away from that charge. Nor should the Guard.

Leadership lives here in South Carolina: Our National Guard troops don’t just answer the call; they carry forward a legacy of local leadership, proudly.

Toni Etheridge, Ph.D., is a strategic advisor and writer focused on leadership, transparency and community resilience in South Carolina.