COLUMBIA--Thirty-five members of Gov. Mark Sanford's former Air Force Reserve unit reported for active duty Monday, about two months after the governor transferred to another unit.

The Charleston-based Air Force reservists were members of the 315th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron. They will support the war on terror by helping to transport and treat injured service members, Air Force officials said.

In March, Sanford transferred to the Air Force's National Security Emergency Preparedness Agency at the request of its commander, Col. Larry Garrison.

The agency helps coordinate between military and state agencies during homeland emergencies.

Garrison said Sanford, a captain in the Reserve, was transferred because of his background in politics. He now serves as an emergency preparedness liaison officer, a stateside job that shields him from potential deployment overseas.

Even if Sanford hadn't transferred, chances are slim he would have been called to active duty, said Air Force Lt. Wayne Capps.

About one-third of the aeromedical squadron was called up. Only one medical services corps officer, Sanford's former job title, was part of the group going abroad.

"If he was still with the unit, he wouldn't have gotten selected because he was the most junior officer, and the one slot we had, someone volunteered for," Capps said.

Sanford was unavailable for comment Monday.

When the Air Force completed the transfer, some Sanford supporters and opponents quietly wondered about the political ramifications of the governor being reassigned from a unit that could be deployed to Iraq.

Sanford spokesman Chris Drummond said the governor's switch was in the works for a long time, and Sanford had no idea his former unit would be deployed.

"I am not sure if he's even aware they were activated," he said.

Capps said he got wind of the deployment last week and Sanford's transfer had been in the works for a couple of months.

"Anyone who knows Mark Sanford knows he's never ducked service," said Katon Dawson, chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party. "We are about to be in primary season, and they (critics) are on a witch hunt to hurt the governor."

Before transferring, Sanford said he would follow orders if his unit were sent abroad.

After the change, Sanford said if the unit was activated, he would "call and see if there was a way I could help out, given that's a role I've been training in for three years."