First Gentlemen Haley Deploys with SC National Guard unit

EASTOVER, S.C. (WOLO) – “Each family, each soldier, each airman is special, ” says Major General Robert Livingston, Jr., The Adjutant General, South Carolina Thursday morning, the families of 47 South Carolina National Guardsmen and women said goodbye for a year. “The families are so supportive, and the families are really our heroes,” says MG Livingston Among them, South Carolina’s first family. First Gentlemen Haley, who serves as a Captain, is part of the South Carolina National Guard 3/49 Agribusiness Development Team. Governor Haley and children, Nalin and Rena attended Thursday’s ceremony. After training in Indiana, the unit will deploy to Afghanistan to teach Afghan farmers how to grow sustainable crops and provide for their families. Yet, the call of duty will require the unit’s members to leave their families behind. “We tell our families this is your deployment, it’s something you have to work through. We can’t live it for you, but we can help you,” says MG Livingston. Even for the smallest family members, the day brought tears. A common question among media outlets Thursday, was whether officials are concerned about the safety of First Gentlemen Haley, because his wife is Governor. “I think that’s the strength of the nation, when you sign up to serve, that all are subject to serve,” says United States Senator Lindsey Graham, R- South Carolina. “The Haley’s are a National Guard family just like 12,000 other families. So, yes I’m concerned about our soldiers, but I’m concerned about all of my soldiers equally,” says MG Livingston. A spokesperson for Governor Haley says the first family spent Wednesday night ‘together as a family,’ at the Governor’s mansion. A spokesman for Governor Nikki Haley also issued the following statement: “The Haleys are a proud military family that understands the sacrifices any family goes through when a loved one is serving his or her country. Michael is looking forward to his mission, but he will miss his family. The governor and the Haley children are proud of Michael and will pray for his – and all others’ – safe return.”