South Carolina's Martial Tradition Continues

South Carolina’s brave men and women continue the tradition of military service into the 20th and 21st centuries.  South Carolinians have served in both world wars, as well as Korea and Vietnam.  Recently, South Carolinians have left their homes to fight on the dry, sandy plains of Iraq during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom and the mountains of Afghanistan in the ongoing War on Terror.

Since the Civil War, thirty-two Congressional Medals of Honor have been awarded to South Carolinians, including medals for lesser-known conflicts, like the Philippine Insurrection and the Nicaraguan Campaign (1926-1933).

The South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum continues to collect and preserve the state’s military history for future generations. The award-winning Write From the Front program builds upon this legacy by preserving emails and memorabilia provided by servicemen and women currently serving their country. In the years to come, the museum will continue to tell the stories of South Carolina’s brave men and women on the battlefields and the homefront who made personal sacrifices for their country.

LEFT: Prior to being drafted into the Army, Lt. Paul McClanahan, a native of Central, SC, joined the Air Force after graduating from Clemson. McClanahan served from December 5, 1967 through December 5, 1968 in Vietnam. Shortly after arriving in Saigon, a Viet Cong assailant tossed a handmade grenade at McClanahan injuring his right jaw and both legs.
RIGHT:  Maj. Scott Bell from Moncks Corner, SC wore these boots during his service in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Capt. Kimberly Hampton, a native of Easley, SC, served in Korea, Afghanistan, and Iraq. She was the first American female pilot to fall in combat when her OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopter was shot down near Fallujah, Iraq on January 2, 2004. Hampton graduated with honors from Presbyterian College, where she was remembered as a "Renaissance Woman” for excelling in academics and tennis.

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