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Article published Dec 10, 2003
The
state should do what it can for National Guard and Reserve
members
The state doesn't have much money, but it should do
what it can for South Carolinians who are serving overseas with the National
Guard and military reserves.A bill introduced in the General Assembly by Sen.
John Courson, R-Columbia, embodies that attitude. It would show support for
South Carolinians serving in Iraq without further draining the state's
budget.Such help is needed. The nation's military is relying more and more on
these part-time warriors, and plans in Washington include sending more guard and
reserve troops to Iraq.Such overseas duty can impose a serious hardship on the
families of these military personnel. A parent and a spouse is gone from the
household. That increases the workload on the remaining parent or guardian. It
leads to loneliness and family stress.But there is an economic hardship as well.
Military pay is often substantially less than what these people earn in their
civilian jobs. Family budgets built around a successful private-sector salary
are thrown into chaos when families have to make ends meet.To help deal with
these problems, Courson is proposing The South Carolina Military Family Relief
Fund. The fund would be generated with a voluntary check-off on state income tax
forms. Tax deductible donations also could be made directly to the fund.The
money would be used to fund grants of $500 to families with someone on active
duty at least 30 days, $2,000 to families living on a military salary that is at
least 30 percent less than the civilian salary that had been coming in and
$1,000 to families with someone killed or injured overseas.These amounts are not
likely to be enough to completely erase the financial difficulty of an overseas
deployment, but they will help.And they will have a supportive effect. The fund
would give taxpayers an outlet for helping to support the troops besides simply
flying the flag. And the grants would send a strong message to military families
about the gratitude that the state has for them.The General Assembly will take
up Courson's bill in January and should give it serious consideration.