COLUMBIA, S.C., - During official ceremonies, the South Carolina Army and Air Guard have followed different procedures for folding and presenting the American flag and the state flag.
Also, there has been no guidance or standard procedure on how to fold the South Carolina state flag.
To alleviate this problem, a South Carolina state representative approached Jim Melton, the sergeant at arms for the state Senate, to find a way to standardize the state flag folding procedure.
Melton contacted the South Carolina National Guard for assistance.
“When it comes to a state official’s funeral, having a standardized process eliminates the question, ‘how do you do it’,” said Melton.
To accomplish this, the S.C. Army and Air National Guard Honor Guard teams came together to craft the standard operating procedure on how to fold the state flag.
“The adjutant general’s office represents two entities, Army National Guard and Air National Guard,” said Sgt. Maj. Ronald Lee, the head of the South Carolina Army National Guard Honor Guard. “We have a joint force, so a joint force needs to participate.”
The Honor Guard provides funerals honors for Guardsmen killed on active duty as well as funerals for veterans. They can also provide a color guard for official functions.
Lee explained that when the South Carolina flag is folded, the crescent moon should be visible. The newly written procedures will ensure the folded state flag has a unique look that anybody in South Carolina will recognize.
Members of the honor guard come from many different job specialties. Soldiers are required to attend a 40-hour class before they are eligible to be part of the Honor Guard. Part of their instruction includes flag folding at official ceremonies.
Soldiers and Airmen who serve on the honor guard teams have a strong sense of duty to the families that they interact with.
“We have the opportunity to be the last military members that the family comes in contact with,” said Staff Sgt. Rachel Hill of the 169th Medical Dental Group. “We provide comfort for the family and leave an everlasting image of the military.”
When the flag folding procedure is completed, the documents will be submitted to the State House for approval.