By Paul Gable
A few days ago, media from Myrtle Beach to Charleston and Columbia carried reports that Sen. Stephen Goldfinch was injured while on deployment in Africa with the S. C. National Guard. Goldfinch represents S. C. Senate District 34.
Goldfinch’s senate office put out a statement saying he was injured while on deployment in Africa with the National Guard. It said the injury was not life-threatening and Goldfinch was being transferred to a military hospital in Germany for treatment.
Several of the reports quoted a S. C. National Guard spokesperson as saying the injuries were non-combat related and were not life threatening.
Rep. Russell Fry commented on his social media account, “I’m praying for a quick recovery for my friend Senator Stephen Goldfinch who was injured in Africa while being deployed with the National Guard. Hoping he can get home safely to his family soon.”
Units of the S. C. National Guard were deployed in June to the Horn of Africa as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Units in the Horn of Africa conduct some counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency training for the local forces as well as humanitarian efforts such as building schools and medical clinics and providing medical services to the countries whose forces are being trained.
According to the S. C. National Guard, Goldfinch is attached to the 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, which drills in Charleston, S. C. The brigade supports area operations including maneuver support operations and management and stability operations.
Goldfinch was reportedly injured at Camp Lemonnier, which is located in the town of Ambouli on the south side of Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport. It is home to the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa of the U. S. Africa Command.
Three independent sources told Grand Strand Daily that Goldfinch was injured during off-duty hours August 1st while working out in the base gym.
An injury in the base gym during off-duty hours at the headquarters base is hardly the type of incident which requires a statement from the senator’s office. Was it issued for political purposes? Mentioning “while on deployment” and “not life-threatening” in a statement hints at some type of injury in the line of duty not in the base gym. Was the comment from Fry meant to support that type of false perception?
Would the same type of statement have been issued by the senator’s office or by Fry if Goldfinch suffered the same injuries in a gym near Myrtle Beach International Airport?
Goldfinch will be up for reelection next year. Too much of today’s political utterances are about creating false impressions with headline grabbing and sound bite utterances for public consumption rather than telling the real story behind those headlines and sound bites.
Speak Up…