SC artist designs logo for Guard Afghan mission

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — About 160 South Carolina Army National Guard engineers are heading to Afghanistan with a new panther logo designed to help boost their morale.

The stark black and red insignia was designed by 22-year-old Matt Andrews of Rock Hill, a recent Winthrop University illustration graduate. It shows a growling black panther perched atop a red castle, which is the insignia for military engineers because of their work on fortifications.

The new logo will be used by the 178th Engineer Battalion from Rock Hill. They are training for a nine-month deployment in July.

The unit is dubbed “Task Force Panther” for its nine-month mission.

Command Sgt. Maj. Joe Medlin, the unit’s top enlisted soldier, says he wanted something to boost the unit’s morale.