Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) Parris Island now has champions in the United States Senate as well as the House of Representatives.
As those of you who regularly read this blog may remember, House Resolution 473, filed in January, called for the prohibition of Federal funds in any attempt to close or realign MCRD Parris Island. The Resolution was co-sponsored by several South Carolina legislators including Beaufort County’s own Representative, Nancy Mace and Representatives Joe Wilson (SC-2), Ralph Norman (SC-5), William Timmons (SC-4), Russell Fry (SC-7), and Jeff Duncan (SC-3). Since then, it was passed to the House Armed Services Committee (which Rep. Mace is also a member of), the legislative body that oversees annual appropriations for the Department of Defense.
However, as we all remember from civics class, the United States government is a bicameral institution where legislation requires support from both the House of Representatives and the Senate to become law. It is therefore very encouraging that South Carolina Senators Tim Scott and Lindsay Graham jointly recently re-introduced Senate Bill 1031, otherwise known as the “Parris Island Protection Act”, on the floor of the Senate. Senator Scott summed up the intent of the bill very eloquently in his remarks on the newly introduced Act:
“The heart of our Marine Corps beats in Beaufort County. This national treasure is a longstanding legacy for both our military and Beaufort County, welcoming thousands of Marines and their families into our communities here in South Carolina.”
Those words undoubtedly resonate with the entirety of the Beaufort community. We at the MEC understand MCRD Parris Island is an institution worth fighting for with as much dedication as Marines who are trained there show to the United States. Regardless of sea level rise or any other threat, we are confident that MCRD Parris Island will continue to be a model of resiliency and stability and a place where the best defenders of American freedom will always be able to call home.
