South Carolina First in Nation to Designate Annual Gold Shield Day for Fallen First Responders
May 27, 2026
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has signed legislation making the Palmetto State the first in the nation to permanently designate June 1 as “Gold Shield Day,” an annual day of recognition honoring first responders killed in the line of duty and the families they leave behind.
Senate Bill 868 passed the South Carolina General Assembly without a single opposing vote, a reflection of the broad, bipartisan belief that the families of fallen first responders deserve what Gold Star families have had for decades: a formal, lasting acknowledgment of their sacrifice.
The Gold Star designation has honored the families of fallen military service members since World War I. Until now, no state had extended that same kind of permanent, codified recognition to the families of law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency responders who die protecting their communities at home.
The new law permanently adds Gold Shield Day to the South Carolina Code of Laws, encouraging state agencies, local governments and public institutions to mark June 1 each year through ceremonies, proclamations or educational activities. The legislation’s declaration states that the sacrifices of first responders killed in the line of duty, and of their surviving families, “deserve formal and enduring recognition by the State of South Carolina.”
For Upstate organizations working alongside first responders and their families, the law fills a gap that has existed far too long.
“For too long, the families of fallen first responders have carried their grief without the same formal recognition extended to Gold Star families,” said Theresa Thompson, Chief Operating Officer of Upstate Warrior Solution. “Gold Shield Day changes that. South Carolina is saying that when we lose a first responder in the line of duty, we also recognize the family standing behind them, and the lifetime of sacrifice that follows.”
Upstate Warrior Solution is a Greenville-based nonprofit that has served veterans, first responders and their families across the Upstate since 2013. The organization expanded its services to first responders in 2022, providing case coordination, mental health resources, career support and family services to law enforcement, firefighters and EMS personnel. More information is available at upstatewarriorsolution.org.
The first Gold Shield Day under the new law will be observed June 1, 2026.
