E for the ramp we watch were so gallantly Streaming and the rocket red the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there oh say does that Stars Spangled Ben yet way or the land of the [Laughter] free and the home of the Race wow yes oh my goodness if that doesn’t bring tears to your eyes and get patriotism flowing through your veins to just give you that sense of gratitude for what veterans have done for this country and what today’s celebration is all about let’s give it up one more time
For Briana Melton what a beautiful rendition of our national anth good yes her voice was soaring just absolutely fantastic wow today we are honoring our nation’s Veterans as we mentioned and of course the Grand Marshall for today we have several of the Vietnam Veterans of America number
303 this group is an incredible group having spoken with them several times I’ve addressed them I’ve met them and these are just incredible people who have just sacrificed so much their time in Vietnam and the service and The Valor and The Bravery that they exhibited on the fields in Vietnam absolutely
National Vietnam War Veterans Day is observed annually of course course on March 29th in the United States but they are our proud Grand Marshals today saluting the grand stand as they passed by and you talk about Greg service and sacrifice uh Colonel Jack Van loone chapter 303 Colonel thank you thank you
All for your service for your sacrifice passing out the American flag to those who have come to line the streets of the capital city and salute our veterans today to all of our Vietnam veterans uh we heard so many over the years say welcome home welcome home and we
Certainly salute you today my goodness at Memorial Park here in Colombia there is a beautiful memorial for the Vietnam veterans and you think of the Memorial in Washington DC the wall there with all of the names of the 56,000 American servicemen who lost their lives in that conflict in
Southeast Asia that their service is never forgotten and today we are honored to give them their dual we absolutely are as we go through we want you all to enjoy all the sights all the sounds of this parade and to really remember what it’s about the service the sacrifice you see
So many of them reuniting with each other those Embraces thank you so much thank you for your service thank you Vietnam Veterans of America just outstanding one of the flags that you’ll notice there is the flag for the PS and Mia those who are still some Inc
Captivity if you can believe that in Vietnam uh and those around the world who wear the uniform who have served our country but yet remain in captivity uh pmia recognizing and remembering them today and every day absolutely American Legion Post 90 from South Conger rolling through the Parade route and Greg as we
Talk about our Grand Marshal the Vietnam veterans honoring their service and their sacrifice we’re also of course recognizing the 50th anniversary of the US troop withdrawal from Vietnam in March of 1973 so another reason why they were chosen as our Grand Marshal this year and so many people coming along the
Parade route shaking the hands of our veterans letting them know how much we appreciate appreciate all they have given in service to our country indeed five decades 50 years since the end of that conflict however you know the memory still very fresh for anyone who served and for family members um that
Service never forgotten but again 50 years to commemorate that the the final withdrawal from Vietnam conflict that lasted uh over 10 years also a salute to Cairo Temple 125 always great to see them in our Veterans Day Parade so instrumental in our community and the service that they offer we also have
Special forces chapter 34 as well and of course as we mentioned we are bringing you the sights and sounds of the Veterans Day Parade and we will take little breaks here and there so you can just get a little bit of the flavor the Pomp and Circumstance of these these
Bands making their way down Suter Street let’s take a listen to the 282nd Army Band from Fort Jackson know you’ve got to hand it to that 282nd band they sound absolutely fantastic today they do indeed and Greg I haven’t seen the concert schedule yet but they usually perform especially during this
Time of year it’s so great to see them perform in person uh just an incredible Ensemble and I mean if that didn’t get you blow and I don’t know what will when you talk about Fort Jackson too if you’ve ever been on that insulation is the Army’s largest training installation
In the country it is absolutely staggering to see how many trainees they have there at a certain given time having been on that base and having seen the formations and just the way that they conduct and carry themselves it is it is awesome it is fantastic one of the
Events that they do every year is for the Special Olympics opening ceremonies those trainees pack the Solomon Center and that place is rocking it is it is we just saw more than 300 of the basic trainees from the installation here so that’s the Next Generation coming through our Vietnam veterans and so many
Others have paved the way now our Fort Jackson schools let’s give it up for the Fort jackon schools you guys look good in your red white and blue absolutely beautiful a lot of people are surprised to learn that they have schools on post at Fort Jackson it
Really is a community within itself and of course we have such a strong connection with our military Community but the whole family serves when a soldier or any military member decides to give service to this country so we thank all of our military spouses all of the military kids for the sacrifice the
Dedication everything that they give every single day all right coming into the intersection right now at Washington and suer it’s the Columbia mayor Daniel ricken and it looks like he’s driving a a Willie those are what those are called looking good oh right we actually got 10
Vehicles as a part of this next part of our parade the American ha Heritage Foundation you guys look spectacular wow it’s perfect day to have the top down too boy the kids out here get an up close look at these military vehicles look at this making history come alive
Yeah 1942 World War II half track so it’s got wheels on the front and tank tracks on the back part of the American Heritage Foundation looking good yes we see you awesome and Greg you mentioned earlier PS Mia soldiers and we see that flag unmistakable flying on our next unit
Coming through the Insignia at the bottom saying you are not forgotten never forgotten anytime you see that flag lift a prayer for those who are missing in action prisoners of War honoring our do little raider right we’ve covered them extensively on W what an incredible story they have to share our k9’s out
Too looking good sitting uh right next to that bail of hay there looking good Congressman Joe Wilson joining us Wilson thank you for being here today thank you sir up next we have the military timeline Impressions and it looks like they’re driving a Humvee one of the uh vehicles that you
Often see on the uh Battlefield those Hummers mean business I tell you they got the decent Siz tires on them too they do indeed honoring our war dogs as well there’s actually a South Carolina War doog Monument wow yeah those Kines that that join our military members uh in
Service thank you so much you can find out more at wall.com I would assume that some of those dogs are also therapy dogs who are able to provide support to our military members and you know when you talk about just the the love and the compassion that an animal can bring it
Is an incredible out Outreach group exactly we’ve got our officers with the city of Columbia Police Department thank you for your service as well led by Chief hobber today thank you Chief out shaking hands with the veterans I thought I saw him out in the middle of
The road and then next thing I knew he was over in the grand stand shaking hands thanking our veterans for their service uh what we see him do frequently and a lot of our veterans serve with our Columbia police department and our Columbia fire department Columbia Fire
Here Chief Aubrey Jenkins out on the parade route with us today looking great and you know when you talk about not only the service of our military members but the service of First Responders yes those who are willing to run into dangerous situations not running away from it but saving
Lives putting their own lives on the line in service to others we honor you today thank you so much for all that you do for our community both Columbia Fire Columbia Police Department thank you very much just an outstanding job da in day out in this community good to see you Chief
Jenkins up next we see the red hog Battalion from Westwood High School out of Lightwood South Carolina boy do they look sharp they do they’re looking great we have 80 Walkers and perfect formation looking great suits nice and starched I will say the red hog Battalion is commanded by Cadet
Lieutenant Colonel Jazelle stanbury and Cadet Command Sergeant mayor Tia wited the Westwood Army High School JROTC uh they are leaders in the classroom leaders on campus and leaders in the community and boy do you guys look sharp today the Next Generation you guys marching through ready to stand up and serve our community
Well next here we have the American Gold Star Mothers afloat with three Walkers as they honor their loved ones who have made the ultimate sacrifice our hearts are with you today is that Tia it is we’re thinking about our sweet Justice our sweet Justice and all of our other
Go Star moms here you thank you for your service and all that you were doing it says I always knew I was meant to be greater more than average and of course no one ever wants to know what it really means to be a gold star mother but when you talk about
The ultimate sacrifice and the way that those Gold Star Mothers stand in the Gap yes we have an obligation to support them in every way that we can that’s right Community wrapping their arms around them lifting them up and and remembering the service and the sacrifice of of those
Who have this is the Brooklyn casy High School JROTC a highly trained army JROTC unit from the east side of Casey 88 of the finest Allstar Cadets on this side of the Mississippi behind them we have the Richland County Sheriff’s Department Sheriff Leon lot leading the
Group je black got on his camo hat today representing his Service as well may recognize some of them from uh Li py and whatnot absolutely and a lot of them serve in our Reserve in the National Guard so they serve in more ways than one so many ways in our community
Now that is an impressive vehicle here looks like a tactical vehicle of some sort but wow just impressive as it uh we got some girls up there just enjoying the ride they enjoy the vantage point from up there hatch open next up we have the Richland County coroner’s office coroner Nat
Rutherford the Richland County’s coroner’s office is available to serve you following of course the death of loved ones you certainly don’t um wish that upon anyone but when those unfortunate incidents occur the coordinat office is ready to engage in so many ways to provide so much Support also to just raise Community awareness
Prevention is such a key of this coroner’s office and raising up the next Next Generation to get them interested in fields of Science and ways that they can be of service to their Community yeah I was seeing a report recently it says that there are lots of opportunities in
Forensics and so that is definitely an emerging field in the Richland County corners office on The Cutting Edge of that and you know before we move to our next uh Navy JROTC unit I’ve also got to mention you know Sheriff lot when he came through with the Richland County
Sheriff’s Office is commander of our South Carolina state guard so you know that service makes all the difference we got our Navy jrtc all right CLA we see you o Clair High School listening to the Cadence as they call it out the mighty Shamrock celebrating 50 years of Honor courage
And commitment let’s go shamro yeah I can give him credit for being able to repeat that is pretty Nuance there that is pretty good next up here we have the military order of the Purple Heart chapter 402 uh those who have been wounded in combat um they are definitely remembered
Today and we thank them for their Valor a lot of people may have seen the comet Purple Heart bus that travels throughout the city and you may not know Colombia is a Purple Heart City so um just a very special honor a very special designation
And one of the things that makes us one of the most military friendly communities in the country in the world really thank you so much to our military order of the Purple Heart for being here with us today especially our combat wounded veterans you know we have a special
Guest here we have Fort Jackson from the Fort Jackson drill sergeant Academy comant Ricky Jackson Ricky can you step on over appreciate you being here with us welcome welcome to the right what what do you think about the sights and sounds that you’ve seen so far this is amazing the city of Colombia
Has always done well and to see our service from our young folks to folks that in our past and present that are here that get back to our country it’s amazing what can you tell us about the the the drill sergeant Academy out at Fort Jackson how tough is it to make it
Through well of course is pretty tough but It prepares drill sergeants to train our America’s newest soldiers as we say we train America’s soldiers at Fort Jackson and we do a really good job we have the best drill services in the world and when you look at these Roc
Units coming through this is from Ridge viw High School they have a great program they did just this week honoring our veterans what kind of Hope does that give you about the Next Generation it’s great hope we’re partnered with the city of Columbia and we’re in most of the
GRTC uh uh school programs and I say the future is bright the future is bright indeed thank you for your service thank you much we appreciate you being here with us today I mean yeah you know it just gives me goosebumps Greg when you see the service the dedication the
Commitment and all that they invest all that they invest on behalf of all of us uh in in this community but in this country it is um an Incredible Gift incredible tell that Comm down Jackson saw some potential out there perhaps you know maybe there will be some in his
Ranks before too long you never know our 92nd Buffalo chapter yes we love you guys over out of West Columbia there you go that’s our 92nd Buffalo chapter of our Disabled American Veterans keeping the promise to American veterans since 1951 now through its members they uphold protect and defend the constitution for
The betterment of all wounded and injured and disabled veterans and just a incredible group when you talk about the wounds that some suffer in battle that organization is there to help them every step of the way Beyond it so hats off to them just for all they do
Absolutely well up next here is a a group that we recognize uh looking good out there WIS News 10 how are you all right of course we are united for better veterans a program that we do an initiative that we are very proud to support because we stand behind our
Veterans in our community but Judy I got to say the group is looking good today yes wi1 representing great to see Rick Henry out our manager where’s Robbie there he is good to see you Stewart Olivia how are you great to see you guys Jessica what’s how are you good to see you
Robbie listen areed what’s going on hi Tiffany how goes it but listen our station has a genuine heart and commitment for our Veterans Day not just this parade but veterans coverage throughout the year and a number of veterans in our station great to see you guys yeah we got a couple of
Our managers there we got Brad and Matt looking good all right Sierra Charles Lynn our marketing director is a vet who proudly served we thank Charles for his service and one of our proudest projects I think as a part of the United veterans campaign was helping to raise money for
The Fisher house that is now open on the campus of the VA Medical Center and we have to thank every single viewer who donated and supported that effort it is because of you that house is open today Miss Don El Baker is a treasure she helped lead that initiative also our cassa uh
A to the Secretary of army kevino who also runs the Department of Motor Vehicles but too many people to name but they’ve all been instrumental in making the Fisher house here in Columbia a reality we’ve got another marching band moving through we want you guys to enjoy
It as much as we do let’s take a listen to the marching band The Mighty Falcons from AC Flora High School all right we see you Flora looking good and right behind him it’s the JC of AC Flora absolutely they are got the color the drill team out
Here again today along with the color guard they’re one of the Staples in this parade each and every year and while that Mighty Falcon Battalion is marching through I want to invite Melissa Solomon the deputy commandant of the Fort Jackson drill sergeants Academy to step
Up and talk with me so glad to see you here today let me start by thanking you for your service as you look at these young men and women out here today and the purpose and the commitment the duty the respect To be part of a Gerald TC within their organization within their high schools absolutely and I think about you know the way the role of women has changed in our military over the years and look at you the deputy commandant out there what what do you say to other young women who
Aspired to following your footsteps I think that they can do anything and achieve anything that they put their mind to I think we’ve made Leaps and Bounds in what we look at within our military organizations to ensure we have representation across whether it’s race whether it’s gender
And the only thing that will stop them from achieving their goals will be them what inspired you to serve honestly initially it was for college tuition yeah but it wasn’t what inspired me to stay man what inspired me to stay was serving alongside all of my
Brothers and sisters and being a part of something that was truly larger than myself it means the world to us and I know means a lot to you thank you so much for your time and for your service enjoy the rest of the parade Greg it
Doesn’t get better than that no it does not you know she talks about uh values and you know values need to be defended and she’s certainly doing that you know the values of honor and dignity and service and as she said serving something greater than herself has
Provided her such meaning and uh such purpose and we thank her for her service we do indeed let’s hear it from the bwood high school Jr TC looking sharp out here and you know Greg while a lot of these young Roc students may go on to
Serve not all of them do it really is more of a leadership program and some of them might go on to our military academy some of them pursue other careers I know so many of those programs though they ins instill a discipline they ins instill values about leadership and
Respect that they set them for success in whatever it is that they decide they want to do that’s such a great point because you know after all it’s those things that they’re going to carry with them far beyond even their high school days um into their business lives into
Their families just uh some incredible skills that they’re learning in JC let’s hear it for our Marine Corp [Applause] League Toys for Tots is a program that has had a tremendous impact over the years simplifi to all of our Marine Corps veterans who are joining us for today’s
Parade thank you for all that you do for our community we have the 108 division training command Veterans as well making their way through with three vehicles today wow and we have the Dutch Fork High School JF jrc and this is a group of 60 Walkers and they’re looking good in their blue
Suits and even though Veterans Day is tomorrow we have to mention especially with the Marine Corps just following through the formal commemoration of the birthday of the Marine Cor began on November 10th of 1921 that day was chosen because on that day the Second Continental Congress resolved in 1775 to
Raise two battalions of Continental marinees so until 1921 the birthday of the core had actually been celebrated another day so happy birthday to our Marine Corps Veterans as well two birthdays yeah that’s kind of neat that’s nice isn’t it you know and for those who have served as Marines it is a
A badge of honor so many get in to that specific branch of military service because of the I would just say the the atmosphere and the honor that is associated with being a US Marine absolutely my cousin is a US Marine so if he’s watching harl tee stamps Jr
Thank you for your service I love you Airborne all right looking great thank you for your service yes you know Judy when I see airborne and I see purple heart I think of my grandfather served in World War II wow he was uh airborne and received the Purple Heart for being
A paratrooper what about that Family Legacy injured yeah injured jumping out of a plane believe it or Not she’s the veteran looking good ladies every woman on that float is a United States veteran and that’s what they’re chanting she’s the veteran she’s the veteran yes indeed Brook Jackson is the executive director Bernice Jordan also a part of that outstanding event and we have more
Of the gold star wives of America coming through yeah it’s quite a motorcycle and playing some green onions as well sounding good looking good out there as we see the P chapter of lar wives moving through the parade we give them a special salute they look beautiful on this day
And my goodness the way they have stood in the Gap it says United We Stand to win divided we fall and are forgotten but we will never forget Greg we’ve got another special guest with us General Kelly the Commanding General of Fort Jackson General Kelly first of
All thank you for your service it’s great to see you as always thank you jul I see the way that you’re interacting with the veterans who are in the grand stand these young RC Cadets that are passing through just tell me what what you’re thinking on days like this so
This celebration is really special it is a gathering of those that have lived lived uncommon lives under uh a common Banner love of country service and what’s really exciting for me is to see the young people here witness how we treat our veterans because they are watching they are prospects they are
Those who I will pass the Baton to and this service will continue so today to see us in celebration is unbelievably exciting for me I know it is and I know know how much you love connecting with the youth what is it that you share with them about what inspired you to serve
And the things that they should think about whether it’s in military service or not about how they can be of service to our country I think the freedom that we enjoy it’s fragile and we have to work for it we have to sustain it and it’s not just us
The adults that have carried the banner we’re celebrating vets from all wars those those that have served I like to talk to them about how we need them to put their shoulder to the wheel to be a part of what we’re doing so that this Freedom that we enjoy why America is so
Great that it continues and talk to me about the mission out at Fort Jackson we had more than 300 basic trainees who March through this Parade route today I mean you have an incredible mission on behalf of our army talk to us about how you’re meeting that mission right now
For Jackson is impactful more than half of our army begins Journey at Fort Jackson this past week we graduated in excess of 12,000 new soldiers correction 1,200 new soldiers 45,000 come through annually and when you think about Fort Jackson this community The Unbelievable support that we receive I couldn’t be happier with
What’s happening around me and grateful to be a part of it General Kelly Kelly I was going to say I remember you out at the Opening Ceremonies for Special Olympics and you definitely bring an enthusiasm to that role and they get fired up there on that base I tell you
You guys have a good time out there as well no that’s a good thing I I always tell folks I’m I’m a low energy guy yeah right no I do I I love what I do I love getting up in the morning putting his uniform on and I hope that it shows and
And I want more to come and be a part of what we’re doing uh because we need it it’s an amazing place to be General Kelly thank you so much appreciate you thank you for all that you do and I tell you what when you talk about gradu
Ceremonies out there if people have not been to a graduation ceremony at Fort Jackson you want to get pumped up you want to get hyped and know what our military Community is doing and what that service is all about they need to go and check out one of those every
Thursday 9 o’cl every THS 9 o’cl thank you General Kelly we appreciate it plenty more from the 45th Veterans Day Parade here in downtown Columbia when we come right back let’s hear it for the Spring Valley High School JROTC looking great Spring Valley from its 21 state championships
And nine time national championships in drill competition Spring Valley jotc has been a model of Excellence for years the 120 member Corp of cadets is comprised of members that represent a crosssection of service social academics and sports campus organizations outstanding brandishing the Air Force core value of service before self since 2020 the
Student L organization has served more than 3,500 hours across the Midlands we’re about to go back on air on WS so when Greg and I give you guys the queue we need to have some big cheers for our veterans stand by everybody welcome back to the 4 th
Veterans Day Parade here in our capital city of South Carolina one of the largest Veterans Day parades in the Southeast everybody out on the streets here at Washington andm let’s hear it for our veterans it’s been a fantastic morning so far with all of these groups and just
The atmosphere out here Judy is is something else it is really beyond words and when you talk about one of the groups that we didn’t get to earlier it’s the PTSD veterans Village that came through here important so important incredibly important a group that’s working to help servicemen and women who
Are battling post-traumatic stress disorder a very real thing among our veterans they come alongside them and assist them in ways that really we can’t even quantify and so we thank them for their service we do indeed we want to salute the WJ Keenan High School rooc another sharp unit marching an army
Formation today and when you talk about the ideals Greg of these units it’s all about leadership discipline respect service community service is a huge component a huge part of what those programs are all about one thing we had we had heard just a short time ago was about some of those
Values that were instilled in service men and women even at a young age you know those are the things that are foundational those are things that are built upon and it’s just amazing to wonder even how they’ll grow and how that will play out in their everyday lives as they
Grow into adults absolutely we also want to salute the woodro Wilson chapter 4 of Disabled American Veterans the chapter 4 Commander Monika lamb unit four Commander Jackie Gray chapter 4 was established on the 2nd of November 1931 has a total of of 1,055 members and it’s the third oldest
Daav chapter in South Carolina the 92-year-old chapter has one purpose support the veterans and their families and that is a mission that we can all get behind absolutely that’s what it’s all About as they roll through I want to invite Greg another guest to join us councilwoman odity bustles hey of course everybody knows her by serving on Colum city council but what they may not know is that she’s also an army veteran spouse good to see you I’m very happy to
Be here and to be able to support all the veterans that live in our community and tell us about our little soldier this is little Bodie uh my husband served in the US Army and we actually met while he was stationed at Walter Reed wow and I’m just you know getting
Him acquainted young cuz if he does join the military it’s going to be the Army well listen the camo looks good on him ha HOA when you talk about we talked when we open up the parade about our capital city in this region being known as one of the most military friendly
Communities in the world what does that mean to us in terms of our our our viability the quality of life here I mean to be known that is an honor I think that military families are the fabric of our community they really offer a lot whether it’s in terms of
Diversity or economic impact or even just increas sacrifice but certainly it’s it’s something that you really appreciate over time just the sacrifice of your spouse and so talk to us a little bit about that Journey for you and how long have you been married and what it’s
Entailed as a military SP I mean even today on Veterans Day he is working in the ER at MC I think the work ethic and the dedication and the sacrifice is such an inspiration and it’s values that I close uh hold close to my heart as well
As I serve and represent this city it’s especially tough um only other military spouses can truly understand but I think that we have a really great strong Community here to support us well thank you both for your service and thank you for just bringing us some sunshine to
The day thank you so much thank you so much great we just had CA Johnson move through the parade route man they have a spectacula band they got an ensemble here today but BBE if you ever see them perform oh honoring the Fallen we got
Our roll out there but I mean some of these high school bands are just absolutely spectacular they are they’re outstanding and I got to say some outstanding skill from that roller skater doing the backwards moves man oh man that takes you back to you know the old skating parties look we got another
One here we do we do and I’m going to drop a little history in our Veterans Day Parade as well because we saw high C Johnson High School just move through they were one of three original black high schools in Colombia and CA Johnson out of those three is is the only one
That is still in operation today and that band recently actually performed at Benedict’s homecoming parade good luck by the way to our Benedict College Tigers competing for a championship undefeated let me get that right undefeated benedi college Tigers competing this weekend and Judy if I’m not mistaken are they trying to go back
To back back to back back to back back to back that’s right they won it last year and looking to Repeat Performance so we were talking about the roller skaters that was té Clark they’re called the American Jam J skaters they’re jamming the jam skaters they’re rocking it yeah they
Performed at uh for Jackson from 04 to 07 yes and army entertainment 2009 at the Army solders show so they’ve been at this a while that that explains some of the skills yes yes shout out also to wjb Dorne VC our veteran women’s program they actually had a veterans ceremony
Over at the VA on Thursday on yesterday um so we just can’t thank them enough for all we do we talked a little earlier about the Fisher house over there and how it’s so nice to have that on the campus now but women’s veterans that’s actually right now Greg the fastest
Growing demographic in the veteran population indeed indeed here we have also the uh Vet Center that offers connection camaraderie and Community as it says a part of the VA US Department of Veterans Affairs uh looks like a mobile unit here where they will go and offer all sorts of resources and connections for
Veterans you know you really can’t do enough when you talk about supporting those who have uh served those who have you know placed their lives on the line and so the vet center doing that and much more yeah and to give you some context about how important their
Mission is the Colombia VA Health Care system has more than 14,000 women veterans but they’ve got to care for more than 36,000 in our area they do as you saw the unit move through they offer 3D mamography on site so they have a huge Mission over there and they’re working
Every day to meet those challenges we’ve got the PWC veterans Affinity Network they want the community to know that PWC is here and that they are veteran supporters yeah they’re looking to engage in other veterans events in Colombia and they have a veterans Affinity Network throughout the
Organization and so you know looking to get involved and do a a lot of great work on behalf of veterans the commander there looks like John Cruz says um disabled American Veteran we want to thank you all for watching on wstv those of of you who are
Joining us online on wv.com all of our platforms and especially all of you who came out on this beautiful Carolina day to be here in person to salute our veterans to show them them how much we love and appreciate them especially our Vietnam veterans who are the Grand
Marshal of this year’s Veterans Day Parade a special group and a a strong organization here in the city of Columbia they are um very special with just the the camaraderie that they have that they enjoy and their service to our nation is something we definitely do not Overlook the Native American group here
As well honoring Native American history month so much Rich culture thrilled to have you all appreciate you being a part of this special celebration today decked out in the red white and blue celebration of Heritage and culture the American Indian Center of South Carolina has sponsored the unit
That just moved through for more than 25 years now Greg and it consists of Native American Indian people from across our state of South Carolina Native Americans of course serve in the armed forces at five times the national average a lot of people may not know that an impressive
Statistic though it is they have served with distinction in every major conflict over the past 200 years in the history of our nation their contributions recognized today Z oh I was they were jamming I saw you ladies I see you ladies yeah military sorority proving that Sisterhood and
Support to all military service women who have served and their families Joy C McLendon is the founder that organization four years old and uh looks like they’re enjoying their time today just kind of uh jamming there Greg we have another special guest with us today it is General Harter with
The 84 81st Readiness Division General Harter great to see you thank you for being here happy Veterans Day well happy Veterans Day to you and thanks for being out here in broadcasting all these great veterans in these Heroes today listen there’s nothing more important than what
We do than to support our veterans we have a program at wyss called United for veterans where we’ve worked to do everything from help to renovate homes to help open the Fisher house in our community how do you feel when you see this kind of support in a community for
The men and women who serve well it’s fantastic I mean this this community so supports soldiers and Veterans and all service members uh it’s awesome being station here I command the Army Reserves 81st reist division right here at Fort Jackson and you know we’re represented by Reserve soldiers and also they
Members of the community uh one of my uh first sergeants one of my ncos who’s in my formation just drove by in a sheriff’s deputy car because he also serves as a law enforcement member here in the community so it’s it’s fantastic the way you see Columbia comes out in
Honors its veterans yeah when you talk about a read division the importance of being ready especially when we see some of the conflicts going on around the world takes on a new meaning a new importance especially in this day and age Bo you’re not kidding I think I tell
My soldiers all the time September 10th 2001 was just another day so we live every day to be ready to train and and to uh follow the legacy of the awesome veterans uh that we’re honoring here today that we’re ready we look at the veterans coming through this parade we see the disabled
American veterans we see our Purple Heart veterans when you talk about the commitment to service and sacrifice what message is it that you have for young people who might consider wanting to serve our country in this way one day well that it’s it’s a fantastic to live
A life of purpose right and you see all these veterans out here you could ask every one of them and they’re so thankful that they’ve served I’ve never met a veteran regardless of what their service was how catastrophic their injury that says they weren’t proud to
Raise your right hand so so I would tell the young people of today if you want to live a life of purpose we got a spot for you in the United States Army the United States military can’t say it much better than that I was say you got me ready to sign
Up waer I love my veteran too uh he’s watching from at home he’s on the inur reserve list today but I got to give a shout out to my retired lieutenant colonel Dwayne Gatson for his service but General harder when you know we think about what the connection our community has Columbia in
The Midland region to Fort Jackson to all of our military installations it’s just that indestructible Bond how much does that mean to the support of military families well I think you know my wife is out here with me we’re supporting the way the Army Reserve is integrated in
Communities the way Colombia reaches out to families a soldier can’t serve today without the support of their family member it’s just too demanding the fam’s got to be All in the Family serves as you know Dwayne has been in my headquarters I know I know that young
Man and so uh the family’s got to be all in so it’s awesome to see them out here they serve just as much as we do we couldn’t do it without the support of our family members yeah between not only the family and the community all these groups coming together to truly support
Veterans it’s inspiring to see it is General Harter thank you so much for your service and thank your wife for us too well thank you for what apprciate it absolutely absolutely I tell you what if you don’t have an appreciation for those who serve for the commitment that they
Make to be ready whenever the Call Comes for the commitment that their families make even their kids you know we have those reunion videos on W oh my gosh I wish I could remember their name but there was one recently where they called him into the room he didn’t realize his
Mom had come back in the way he hugged his mama knowing that she had been deployed and that she came back to surprise him it just oh it gives me Goosebumps all over and I just we just love and appreciate you so much for all you do yeah those deployments uh take a
Toll on a family and so when they’re able to reunite it is grab the tissues because it’s always fantastic to see again the comment that was made you know talking about readiness and preparedness and training and vigilance all of those things making such a difference in a dangerous world and he
Brought up the point about September 10th 2001 that the day before so much went wrong but being ready is so important absolutely let’s take a listen to the Lower Richland marching R [Applause] band Sh You lower oral High School sounding great they’re followed by their jrc group The Diamond Battalion aren’t they sharp they are 90 walkers in this group that’s one of the largest jrc groups that we’ve seen so far today you know what and the kids they learn so much from it when you talk
About that they show up at Community Service events they learn about leadership they learn about service they learn about sacrifice you know something that I feel like sometimes feel like it might be getting lost in the Next Generation but these kids know what that’s all about um uh we have another
Special guest for joining us a lot of people know him as the sheriff of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department of course but he’s also the commander of the South Carolina State guard Sheriff L thank you for being with us thank you it’s a great day for America and a great
Day to end South Carolina this is the best Parade ever right here it really is I saw you beaming from ear to ear when you were leading your unit down into part of this parade you have a lot of veterans who serve with you every single day and and that’s just a small
Percentage that was out here today but yeah we have a lot of veterans Fort Jackson’s been great with us one of the best recreating places we’ve got when they transition from uh Fort Jackson they come right to the Sheriff’s Department it’s not a far drive there
Yeah it’s pretty close yeah and let me tell you their train ready and hit the ground running to we’ve been talking with all of our guests today um some of the commanders out at Fort Jackson and otherwise about what inspired them to serve because it has to take something
In particular that inspires you to want to wear the uniform of the United States of America what has inspired your commitment to service well it started with my father my father started first class in Army and I grew up in a military family and just watching him
And having that flag flown outside of our house every day and following his step so I do it on on my dad Sheriff lot talk about some of the the dangers that are faced not only you know for veterans or those who have served but for local law enforcement and for those First
Responders who are on the scenes and who run into these situations where other people might be running away you know that danger exists every single day on the front Lin we know that when we raise our right hand and take that oath to defend uh the state and our Constitution
Of United States that’s what we do and we understand that we put that uniform on and that shows the dedication commitment and love that each one of those that wear that uniform have for this for Richland County for the state for the nation almost every time you and
I talk we talk about some of the challenges that our youth are facing today what are some of the principles they don’t necessarily have to serve in the military but that they can learn from our veterans about those principles that help you to be a part of Solutions
In your community to contribute to the best part of our community what are some of the important lessons that our youth can learn from our veterans well just look at a veteran and what they stand for and you know the commitment they made but the decision making they made
You know making great decisions and our military is put in a position where they have to defend this country and the decisions they make our young people need to learn how to make good decisions you know I wish all of them would join the military well we looking at the
South Carolina Youth Challenge Academy passing before us right now you know one of the goals that they’re working on good decision making you know placing a value on your future your potential and what you can contribute to your community all these young people have the potential to be anything they want
To be and they just have to go out and find it and posit and that’s what we need to do as a community has give them that opportunity we always heard it takes a village to raise a child we’re all that Village and we need to take
Advantage every single day of helping a young person out yeah so many of these groups here offering that positive environment where these values can be taught you really can’t you can’t quantify what that means to these kids because they’re learning at such a I would say an impressionable age but they
Will learn young they they will learn but they need to have great role models and that’s all of us those who wear the uniform and even those who don’t wear the uniform be a role model to a young person you can save a life Sheriff lot
Thank you so much I think the sign out there says it all thank you for your service we appreciate you and everybody is who’s a part of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department everybody who has worn a military uniform to serve our country thank you so much great day to
Be American it is indeed thankk you thank you amen all right always good to see the sheriff out here it is it is we got Trail life thank you guys you guys look great I love the red white and blue looks like we got some boy scouts out
There too oh she just ran and jumped in his arms now that is the picture of the day oh my goodness I don’t know if you guys can see on TV what we’re seeing we got a whole crew out here from W trying to capture every angle for you guys to
Give you the best shots of this parade but I she saw somebody she loved and she jumped right in his arms that was a beautiful beautiful site to see just incredibly special you know some of these some of these groups it’s nice seeing all the families out here
Today as well you know bringing the entire family and kids one of the points that was made a little earlier on Judy to the idea that kids are watching this they’re seeing how service is recognized and how these values that we talked about pretty much throughout this broadcast that those things are
Celebrated they’re commendable and they’re uh worthy to be honored they are indeed and you know we can talk to our kids all day long about what’s important but the way they learn about what’s really important is what they see us do yes that’s that’s what informs the
Decisions that they make and so the more they see us doing we can do less talking we just need to do more doing more action we’ve got our friends from Dominion Energy walking in the parade today thank you all so much they have a tremendous commitment to hiring veterans
Which is so important because a lot of times when military members transition from active duty into retirement sometimes it’s not quite clear exactly how all of those skills incredibly valuable skills but how they transition into civilian life and Dominion Energy has set up a whole team to make sure
That they understand how that skill set lines up because when you have somebody like a veteran who knows how to solve problems who shows up every day all day you know who’s ready to do the job and ready to reach Mission accomplishment you can teach them all the other stuff
That’s right but when you have somebody who has that kind of commitment instilled in them there’s not a better person that you can bring into your organization tremendous skills on the job they make great entrepreneurs as well lots more coverage from out here at the 45th annual Veterans Day Parade here
In the city of Columbia we’ll be right back here on W everybody sing 94.3 The Dude coming through here and we have Colombia’s praise I see you what’s going on my man you are right yes good to see Team 95.7 117 a I was on
His Morning Show a while back we had a great time just talking uh talking things of faith and it was it was great Colombia’s Praise broadcasting live from downtown Columbia welcome to the 45th Veterans Day Parade from the Midlands known as the most military friendly community in the United States of America I’m JD Gatson along with Greg Adeline and Greg what a beautiful day to salute our veterans indeed we love our veterans and today
That love has been on display all morning long as we work our way into the afternoon all of these groups getting the recognition the support and the love that they deserve one day ahead of Veterans Day as we take time to reflect and think about all of the service all
Of the sacrifice and all that our veterans mean to not only raise our quality of life but also just to give us a tremendous example of what service and sacrifice means and the value of it absolutely joining us now is the mayor of the city of Colombia mayor Daniel
Rickman mayor Rickman I just want to know you’ve been smiling from ear to ear since I saw you come up to help lead the parate what’s running through your mind today you know it is such a great you know we did get to do it last year you
Know and we we we had Co get in the way of having this great parade and it’s just such a great honor we’re we’re such a patriotic City and you I was talking to General Kelly several weeks ago and he said did you know that seven out of
10 people retiring at Fort Jackson are making Columbia their home that’s huge so that tells me that you know that having events like this and getting everybody involved is is just and of course the weather’s perfect you know I mean you know we just dialed it up
Perfectly but excited to talk I mean riding in the car with the folks you know talking about the do lter Raiders and you know the history behind it and the attachment to Columbia and how they want to do a museum here and the fact that they’re excited to be here you know
And going well I got this parade tomorrow and I got this through the weekend but just seeing all the people here supporting the community it’s great I mean it’s just unbelievable Mr Mayor Yeah you mentioned the the weather you had a top down Willie it looked like they were driving and you’re enjoying
That ride for the most part you know what’s that that Willie landed in Normandy wow really yes and the general drove it around and he brought it back to the US after it and a local attorney in town got it and had it you know
Restored and so it it it’s a piece of History wow wow how special is that you know you talked about military veterans who retire and stay in this community but even when families travel from all over the country to be here for graduation you know when they 250,000 family members on average come
To Columbia and spend four days on average with us I mean you talk about the impact that has on our city and that region it has an impact if you go to graduation one time you’ll leave their feeling so great these parents not only saw their kid or young child either son
Or daughter go in one way come out another they’re so excited they talk about what a great Community we have and how everybody is is supportive you leave there and you just you feel so patriotic you just want to go hang a flag I know I know and we welcome all of those
Families to our city they see all of the great things that our city has to offer and a lot of them come back to make Columbia home we got the drill sergeants Academy over there we head right here putting out the drill sergeants you know 60% of all the training happens right
Here in Columbia South Carolina and then you talk about our air National gu that is is deployed all over the country and then we got Shaw down the road I mean the Midlands is the military part of our state it really is you talk about the opportunities for veterans and the
Incentives for them to stay in our community what’s the city doing to make sure that you know veterans know that they have a home here in a place where they can Thrive and raise families I think two things that are really great is that you know the governor and the
Legislature made sure that no military retirement is taxed so that’s one part second part for us is we want to create kind of a a retirement program with the general so they have retirement ceremony at at Ford Jackson but we want to do something and recognize them and introduce them to the
Community you know if it’s Scout Motors amarro blue sh Blue Cross Blue sh W I heard y’all were hiring we are we are you know whoever we can to make sure that they they feel very welcome and part of this and I think they feel that
But doing that extra mile I think will go a long way absolutely well mayor r thank you for taking a few minutes to talk with us enjoy the rest of the parade what a beautiful day for our capital city and Greg to your point one of the other things that they’ve been
Working to do is make sure that spouses when they move to this community man these Corvettes are revving up look I’m G just let them live their best life because they are reving it up enjoying this and they are beautiful vehicles moving through um as a salute to our
Veterans today but they’re working to make it easier um one of our former producers as a matter of fact Brandon Wilson is over there working with the Department of Veterans Affairs they work to not only highlight veterans in our community but also to put initiatives in place so that spouses who have certain
Training and certifications and other areas that it will be recognized here because when you come in you might be here for two or three years and the time it takes to ramp up to get whatever that certification is in your field of expertise if you can just automatically
Have that transfer even things like that make such a huge difference and so those are the things that our community has worked to be able to really support military families yeah it makes for such a seamless transition and you know to be a military friendly community and to be
Named one of the best communities for military I will say that is a badge of honor it it talks a lot about the type of community that we have here in Columbia that recognizes service and sacrifice and um it’s just tremendous the beautiful vehicles that you all see
Rolling through are a part of vets are forever Corvette club they are always a crowd favorite as they come revving up for the Veterans Day Parade we’ll probably see them again at the Christmas parade as well but certainly boy we appreciate them being here today absolutely BW post 4262 the auxiliary
Past president Theodora monu thank you Charlamagne Ken kener thank you so much the grand of South Carolina mocha president trying to catch the Nam as they brought Audrey Smith right here there there you go good to see you yeah each one of those Corvettes just looking awesome and again per day
For top down loved hearing that story from the mayor about that Willie that they were driving was on the beach in Normandy yes yes if you could believe that and brought back here to the United States incredible we’ve got another special guest with us thank you all for being
Here today secretary Todd mccaffery reti US Army General also Secretary of South Carolina Department of Veterans Affairs great to see you as always I think you enjoying the the parade as much as the kids are I’ve seen you take pictures shake hands give how was what do you feeling I I do
You know this is the this whole week and particularly veterans days the one day of the year we celebrate the service and the sacrifice of these nation’s veterans and here in South Carolina there’s 393,000 of I think a lot of them are out here today they really are we were just
Talking a moment ago about what our Department of Veterans Affairs is doing to support veterans to support military families and there’s so many initiatives that you all have had to really kind of close that Gap and make sure they have every resource they need yeah this state
Is so blessed with its support to Veterans and we’re we’re fortunate to be able to work with the US Department of Veterans Affairs to help veterans gain the benefits to which they’re entitled we work to work with nonprofits across the state to integrate the services they provide we advocate for the military
Presence of South Carolina and we also try to inform the public of what veterans do and how veterans serve and how they continue to serve their communities every day they certainly do you know you talk about almost 300,000 veterans are up WS of that that’s a
Tenth of the state has served in a military branch really is incredible to think that there’s that much of a presence here in our state definitely though some challenges though so those who have served what is your organization able to do to make sure that they’re thriving here yeah that’s a
Great point so you know 393,000 veterans be a couple of their families it expands that book even further you know the reality is there are veterans that continue to struggle and suffer in South car hill we are for to have wonderful organizations to support them that VA
Does a great job supporting veterans but we’re also recognize the fact that the vast majority of veterans are not struggling they’re actually helping veterans they’re contributing they’re working here in Columbia across the state uh providing economic impact and building businesses to his employees so we’re privileged to work with them and
Frankly they raised the bar for all of us great thank you for all you do and your incredible staff as well the way they have Outreach in the community is making such a difference and I know just a couple days ago you all named the veteran of the year for our state yes
Sure did was just came out on L on on social media First Sergeant Alvin King who runs R for Hope and will’ll recognize him tomorrow at the Gamecock football game be fantastic and the government will recognize him next week on Tuesday so we’re looking forward to
That well we had him in WS the other night to talk about the USC 5K run that’s coming up on Sunday he’s going to be there as well so we just want to thank Alvin King for all of his service all that he does Jared Evans over over
The University of South Carolina as well but just another example of the way our community comes together in so many ways to make a difference I’ll tell you Columbia is wraps her arms around its veterans in the military Community we’re so privileged to be here yeah thank you
So much you appreciate it yeah wow is that awesome it is it is and you know you mentioned the uh veteran of the year you remember when we the other night and you know is is so I I would just say it was it was amazing to see him just kind
Of mention it uh parenthetically on the side oh by the way I just won this award yeah it was very typical it was not the first thing out of his mouth it was just kind of like we had talked to him for at least 10 minutes or whatever talking
About the 5K that they have coming up and you know and he just kind of mentioned it on the side so absolutely absolutely we’ve got the sons of Solomon motorcycle club that’s been rolling through um the Metro City Slingers are here with us today we talked about the
Vet for evercore vet Club um so much happening wow I’m going to let y’all take it in for a minute sure got some slingshots here musicing and everything Judy these are known as the Metro City Slingers and so Slingers is a play on slingshots I like it I like yeah these These are these are Neat we’ve got another special guest for an interview but we’ll let the red that part of the parade pass through first so we can hear them and share that with our audience viewing Us online and on W we want to while we have a moment I just want to thank our entire
Crew I can’t even begin to call all of their names our chief photographer Russ Condon is out here and I mentioned um our marketing director Charles Lynn who’s a veteran he’s even behind the camera out here working today and so many other members of our team to make
This happen it takes the whole station has to come together to be able to bring you a live production like this so we hope that you’re enjoying it at home we hope that you know you’re seeing some of your neighbors and friends and colleagues and veterans that you know
And love and can join in honoring them today of course Veterans Day is tomorrow and a number of Ceremonies happening around the Midlands to pay tribute to our veterans for their service and their sacrifice but this is just a big event that our community looks forward to
Every year and Greg I just I tell you it doesn’t get old seeing everybody waving their American flag seeing the kids light up with joy seeing the hugs the handshakes the tears um all of the emotion of this event and of this day it just represents the best of our
Community and what it’s all about and how important our veterans and our military families are to everything that we do in the Midlands to make this such a great place to live and to raise your families and to have a respect a respect to really honor what it
Means to serve our country indeed so well said and all of the hands on deck here that that make this broadcast happen so you know we’re able to put this out and of course those who organize this parade got to give it up to Susan mcperson we appreciate all the
Effort there just to make this an event that every single year people look forward to because Judy you said it it is service and sacrifice on display and a chance to honor that today we have even more Corvettes by the way yeah we saw some earlier y’all are
Looking good looking really good out there in the Corvettes making their way down here well as the Corvettes move through I want to welcome in another special guest 42 years Total Service Chief Warrant Officer Allan Hinton happy Veterans Day to you sir and thank you thank you thank you for your service
You’re most welcome tell me what inspired you to serve and when you how you got your career started well I went into service initially as a enlisted man in the Army from 60 to 63 after I graduated from high school then I went to college and became an officer in the
Marine Corps and spent 12 years on active duty there got passed over for major in 1980 taught school in St Louis Missouri area taught history and government there from 1980 to 2008 and there was an Army Reserve helicopter unit and I got on with them and I flew with them for the
Two jobs really didn’t interfere with each other wow until December 90 when the reserve un they got called up and we had to go to over to kick the Iraqis out of Kuwait Desert Storm and uh you know I came back from that and went back to my school teaching
Job and flew with the reserves right up till my 60th birthday when they retired me so I couldn’t fly anymore wow but you were willing and ready weren’t you well I’m I’m 81 years old now wow wow wow yeah I moved here last two months ago my my
Daughter right there as a doctor here and you know wants to take care of her pop she said come on down here all well listen we’re glad to have you and this is the community that appreciates our veterans everyone who was serving and I’ll tell you something that I from my
History and time that I spent in the military I never met a person from South Carolina who wasn’t a total Patriot I served with a lot of guys that had both in the Marine Corps and in the army that you know joined up and every last one of
Them not one of them was a jerk yeah know which I think’s amazing yes that is amazing wow 42 years of service I have to say you’re one of the more decorated out here I looking at allal you get a lot of those if you just happen to be in
The right place at the right time I I would I was going to ask though what does it mean to you to be able to see the Vietnam veterans in particular be honored today as Grand Marshals you began your service right during that era
Well I was I went in initially in 1960 I mean I didn’t get to Vietnam there’s a marine helicopter pilot till December 69 and served there till December 7th but you know and I heard all those stories about people spitting on you and cursing and all I can truthfully say is
None of that ever happened to me so I mean you know I always take a with a grain of salt when somebody’s got some I’ll tell you a funny story from when I was teaching school right yeah there were these three girls that sat in the back corner of the room great students
Nice suburban school district these three girls somehow had figured out how to have the same schedule so they all went from my history class the same English class always turn their assignments in no problems they sat in the back corner of the room you know no problems you know about halfway through
The semester they just go totally crazy this one day they’re jumping up and down they’re hollering everything and they’re back in the corner of the room so I got to go back what the heck’s going on here you know well there’s this little bug crawling on the
Floor and you know there acting like there was a king cobra loose in the classroom or something and I said that’s what’s causing this problem yeah Mr H so I reach down I pick it up and I pop it in my mouth and I ate it right in front
Of the class right now I went through the jungle survival School in the Philippines Back in 1970 yes trust me it was not the first bug I ever ate in my life Wow Wow and by and by the end of the day I got other teachers coming up
To me after school saying hey Al we heard you ate a big old 2 and a half inch cockroach I says you know that story gets better every time somebody tells it that’s right that’s right right that’s incredible you know the parade has just been such a joy today everybody
Came out to enjoy this momentous occasion I think it’s appropriate to wrap up we’ve asked all of our guests today about inspiring the Next Generation whether they decide to serve in the military or not but what words of wisdom can you share with our youth about what has helped to contribute to
Your success well I had a lot of good examples growing up all you can do is set a good example I mean I remember in high school in the late 50s just about every male teacher in the high school was a World War II veteran wow so it wasn’t unusual
At all and I remember my football coach will Sanders born in Tennessee was teaching there at soan high school in St Louis was a head football coach I just ask him one time I
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