(Columbia-AP) March 21, 2003 - Governor Mark Sanford wants to blend in as he goes through Air Force Reserve officer training the next two weeks in Alabama, but that might be hard for the first lieutenant who is the only governor in the nation with an active military obligation.

His two weeks of classroom and drill time at Maxwell Air Force Base near Montgomery, Alabama, begin at 5:00am Sunday. It is one of two courses Sanford must complete to be qualified. He has already fulfilled weekend training. He's an entry level health services administrator.

Sanford says it will be a fascinating time to be locked down on an Air Force base as the war plays out in Iraq. Sanford says the timing of his training is awful, coming as it does just days after the start of the disarmament of Iraq, but the scheduling has been in the works for months. A Sanford spokesman says power will not be transferred to Lt. Governor Andre Bauer while the governor's away.

The Republican governor says his training won't keep him from handling the affairs of South Carolina. He says he's only a couple of hours away if something happens that requires him to be in South Carolina.

Sanford became a first lieutenant in the Air Force Rerserve's 315th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron based at Charleston Air Force Base on January 30th, 2002. Critics called his commission a political move. Sanford says he started the process two years earlier, before he decided to run for governor.

In February and March about 45 reservists from Sanford's unit were called to active duty, though the governor was not among them. Those called up were mostly flight nurses and medical technicians.

Lieutenant Colonel Chris King says the squadron has about 120 members. He said at the time he knew of no plans to call up the governor. The Republican said in late January he will honor his military commitment to show his sons about service and keeping his word.

Sanford says he would not resign as governor if he were on an extended deployment, and he may seek a court's opinion about whether the state constitution prohibits him from keeping his commission. If Sanford were called up, Lt. Governor Bauer, 33, could become acting governor.

State Law Enforcement Division Chief Robert Stewart says he wants the public to know he will be able to reach the governor almost instantaneously in Alabama. Sanford recently put Stewart in charge of the state's homeland security.

updated 3:18pm by Chris Rees