South Carolina military bases include Fort Jackson, U.S. Navy Hospital Beaufort, Naval Weapons Station Charleston, Shaw Air Force Base, Joint Base Charleston, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. South Carolina is home to about 400 thousand veterans. South Carolina is bordered by North Carolina and Georgia .

In 1712, the Carolina’s split In 1776 South Carolina declared independence from Great Britain, along with 12 other British colonies, becoming one of the original states of the United States of America.At that time, the American flag had 13 stars for each existing state versus the 50 that appear on the national flag.

Today, During the American Civil War, South Carolina was part of the Confederate States of America. Early flags of the state of South Carolina included Colonel William Moultrie’s Liberty, Flag designed during the American Revolution. This included the blue of William Moultrie’s militias uniforms with a white crescent moon in the top left, which had been featured on the militiamen s caps. The word liberty was written upon the crescent The flag was flown during the defense of Sullivan Island near Charleston in June 1776. The flag was shot down, but Sergeant William Jasper ran out among gunfire to retrieve and raise it again.

The flag soon became a popular symbol of the Revolution and the new state. In January 1861, the palmetto tree was added to the flag and made a white outline shortly. Afterward Trunks of the palmetto tree had been used to construct the fortress on Sullivan Island during the American Revolution. Its spongy wood was able to withstand the British cannonballs that struck it.

 

Map of Military Bases in South Carolina

Army Base in South Carolina

Fort Jackson

Fort Jackson is the largest training facility for the US Army. It is also the largest Initial Entry Training Entry facility by far, training 34% of all men and 69% of the women entering the Army each year. It also handles over 50% of the Basic Combat Training. Fort Jackson is not known for having the most advanced technology, but it’s considered invaluable for the work it does for new recruits. Based on these percentages, it’s estimated that over 36,000 soldiers come through this base annually. Other institutions are also located here, such as School of Credibility Assessment, Soldier Support Institute, the Center for Army Chaplaincy and an Army Drill Sergeant School.

Navy Bases in South Carolina

U.S. Navy Hospital Beaufort

The United States Navy Hospital Beaufort is located in Port Royal, SC. While most military hospitals are part of a larger facility and tasked with taking care of those on base, Naval Hospital Beaufort is the opposite. It stands on its own and handles health care for multiple installations. Services are provided to any Navy and Marine Corps personnel and include general medical, surgical and urgent care services. Retired military personnel in the area also benefit from healthcare here. All told, roughly 35,000 people are able to take advantage of the expertise available here.

Naval Weapons Station Charleston

NWS Charleston is located near Charleston, SC and covers more than 17,000 acres. It has an integrated Rail-head, surge mobilization capability and the only unencumbered explosive arcs in the country. It was first commissioned as the US Naval Ammunition Depot at the beginning of WWII. Today the facility works directly with the Department of Defense and stands as a training center with several schools – one for Border Patrol Satellites and two schools for Nuclear Power Training. 43 tenant commands are based here supporting over 11,000 active duty servicemembers, civilians and contract personnel.

 

Air Force Base in South Carolina

 

Shaw Air Force Base

Shaw AFB is located 8 miles from Sumter, NC and is one of the largest military facilities in the United States. It is operated under the Air Combat Command of the US Air Force and proudly upholds its mission to “Fly, Fight and Win…in air, space and cyberspace”. Shaw AFB has had a long-standing mission of training enlisted cadets and pilots, and today they are a key factor in supporting Iraq and Afghanistan operations. The host unit here at Shaw is the 20th Fighter Wing, responsible for the maintenance and operation of F-16CJ aircraft. It’s made up of four squadrons, including the 55th, 77th and 79th Fighter Squadrons, as well as the 20th Operation Support Squadron. Other groups that support the 20th Fighter Wing are its maintenance, mission support and medical groups.

Joint Base Charleston

JB Charleston is one of 12 bases that resulted from the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, combining both Charleston Air Force Base and Naval Air Station Charleston. It currently falls under the command of the US Air Force. The 628th Air Base Wing is the host unit here with multiple groups located on base, the largest of which are mission support, medical and staff directorate. Other tenant units that call JB Charleston home are the 437th Airlift Wing and the 315th Airlift Wing. Other tenant units come and go on a temporary basis. Combining the two bases helped the two branches eliminate some redundancy in positions, which freed up funds to allow for higher rates of efficiency. JB Charleston is home to more than 20,000 active duty, Reserve and civilian employees.

Marine Bases in South Carolina

Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort

Located 70 miles southwest of Charleston, MCAS Beaufort occupies around 6,900 acres in Beaufort, SC. It hosts seven permanent squadrons and is home to the 273th Wing Support Squadron, the 23rd Combat Logistics Company, the 31st Aircraft Group and the 86th Strike Fighter Squadron and a variety of other minor tenants. The general mission of MCAS Beaufort is to support the operations of the United States Marine Corps, Marine Aircraft Group 31 squadrons, and the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island.

Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island

Often referred to simply as Parris Island, this facility is the main recruit depot for the United States Marine Corps. Parris Island began training male recruits in November of 1915. Female recruits were welcomed onto the base in February 1949. The mission of Parris Island is to “Make Marines by recruiting quality young men and women and transforming them through the foundations of rigorous basic training, our shared legacy, and a commitment to our core values…” All recruits have qualifications they must pass to graduate, including Swim, Rifle, Martial Arts, Academics, Physical/Combat Fitness and the Crucible. The Crucible is the final challenge – a 54-hour exercise requiring recruits to work together to overcome many challenges, finishing with a 9-mile hike that ends at the Iwo Jima flag raising statue at Peatross Parade Deck. .Once completed, recruits are awarded the Eagle, Globe and Anchor and officially claim the title of US Marine.