Gov. Mark Sanford and his predecessor, Gov. Jim Hodges, both have recommended eliminating the $100,000 the state puts into horse feed, transportation and maintenance for the all-volunteer unit. The House eliminated the money in its version of the budget.

The caisson was used in January in the funeral of Army Capt. Kimberly Hampton, an Easley pilot killed Jan. 2 when her helicopter was shot down in Iraq. Last year, it was used in Sen. Strom Thurmond's funeral. And it will play a role in the burial of the crew of the Confederate submarine Hunley later this month.

The caisson team has helped bury about 25 soldiers, police officers and dignitaries since 1998.

"That caisson unit is very dear to the hearts of South Carolinians," Adj. Gen. Stan Spears, told a Senate Finance subcommittee on Thursday.

"Once it's gone, it's gone forever," Sen. Arthur Ravenel, R-Mount Pleasant said. "We ought to restore that."

Spears said contributions are used to support the effort, including hay and feed. The caisson itself is owned by a private funeral home. If it weren't for volunteers, the unit would cost about $300,000 to operate. "I think the caisson unit will continue," he said. "We will find a way for the caisson unit to continue."

Sen. Phil Leventis, D-Sumter, rejected the notion that the caisson team should be privately funded. "It ought to come out of our pockets," Leventis said.

"It is as important as turning the water on," Leventis said. "You cannot have a country that doesn't honor its servants and expect to have the kind of servants that we've been blessed in America to have. Just plain and simple, we ought to pay for it."

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