S.C. National Guard commander receives second star
April 9, 2017
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Maj. Gen. R. Van McCarty, deputy adjutant general, S.C. National Guard, received his second star (promoted from brigadier general to major general) during ceremonies at the Adjutant General’s headquarters building, Thursday. McCarty will continue serving as the S.C. National Guard commander for defense support to civilian authorities (DSCA) missions, as well as monitoring the state’s operational readiness regarding unit strength, equipment, and training. And he will continue in the role of deputy adjutant general, S.C. Military Department (SCMD), supervising the administrative activities and daily operations of the dept.
The SCMD includes the S.C. Army National Guard, the S.C. Air National Guard, the S.C. State Guard, the Emergency Management Division, and other elements.
“Having worked closely with Gen. McCarty during state emergencies like the Joaquin flooding in 2015 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016, I can’t think of a better general-officer to serve as the designated dual-status commander and the senior S.C. National Guard commander overseeing DSCA,” said COL Bill Connor, a U.S. Army Reserve infantry officer and former senior U.S. military adviser in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, who today serves as the Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer for S.C. under FEMA Region 4, Army North. “Gen. McCarty is clearly a soldier’s general, and the support of his troops and all those attending the promotion ceremony yesterday are testaments to the respect he has earned over his 35 years in uniform.”
A 1982 graduate of The Citadel, McCarty was commissioned as a U.S. Army Reserve field artillery officer into the S.C. Army National Guard. He has since served in a variety of capacities and command and leadership positions at every echelon from battery to brigade. He also served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Additionally, having graduated from the FBI National Academy at Quantico, Virginia, he served for 24 years in the Law Enforcement Division of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.
Maj. Gen. Robert E. Livingston, the adjutant general of S.C. and the commanding general of the SCMD, presided over McCarty’s promotion ceremony and re-administered the oath of office.
[For more information, please visit https://www.scguard.com/]
