South Carolina's adjutant general is the only elected head of a state National Guard in the nation, and an investigation by the Army's Inspector General shows why the position should cease to be political.
According to a recent report in the Charlotte Observer, the Inspector General concluded in a document released this year that a S.C. Army National Guard officer was unfairly reprimanded for complaining about improper campaign fund raising on behalf of Adjutant General Stan Spears. Meanwhile, the Observer reported that the State Ethics Commission criticized state Guard officials for improperly politicking for Gen. Spears.
The officer who had been reprimanded, Maj. Davis Enloe, supported the candidacy of retired Guard Brig. Gen. Earle Brown, who was beaten by Gen. Spears in the Republican primary in 2002. Maj. Enloe's problems apparently began after he was quoted in the Observer as saying that promotion to senior rank in the state Guard is often influenced by political contributions to the adjutant general. The day after the story appeared, Maj. Enloe was ordered investigated by the Guard's assistant commander, the Observer reported.
The newspaper cited a military expert who described the reprimand that subsequently was found to be unfair as "almost certainly career-ending." Presumably, the findings of the Inspector General will remove that shadow from Maj. Enloe's future with the Guard.
Maj. Enloe had this to say about the political climate of the state Guard in recent comments to the Observer: "As long as we keep an elected adjutant general, and as long as that adjutant general has control over promotions and investigations, supporters of opponents, like myself, are always going to be potential targets of intimidation."
Gov. Mark Sanford has recommended that the adjutant general and several other constitutional officers be appointed, instead of elected. The Inspector General report describes a military arm where decisions are made on the basis of politics. The General Assembly should move to rectify that situation by allowing a referendum on whether the adjutant general should be appointed, notwithstanding the opposition of Gen. Spears' allies in the Legislature.
Click here to return to story:
http://www.charleston.net/stories/041504/edi_15edit2.shtml