Charlotte-based football coach recognized for military service and post-military veterans work By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Jay Alverson, executive director of the S.C. Military Veterans Hall of Fame (SCMVHOF), will be formally awarded the University of South Carolina (USC) Outstanding Veteran Alumni Award on gameday, Saturday, Nov. 7, beginning withContinue Reading
Hollywood star and karate legend Keith Vitali presented S.C.’s highest award this year, also knighted in Italy and honored in the Czech Republic By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Hall of Famer and 10th-degree black belt Keith Vitali has recently received a number of lofty international honors, adding to his alreadyContinue Reading
Turning a minor disappointment into a measurable victory By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Stupidity, defiance, or calculated risk: Probably a bit of all three. Yesterday morning I had routine blood labs done. Everything looked good – Praise God – though my hemoglobin levels (the culprit in my 2024 stroke) wereContinue Reading
Award is the namesake of Sheriff Leon Lott By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Martial arts practitioner and acclaimed instructor for U.S. and foreign special operations forces Ben “Yeti” Rhodes was awarded the S.C. Black Belt Hall of Fame’s prestigious “LEON LOTT – FIRST THROUGH THE DOOR” AWARD,” during a privateContinue Reading
South Mecklenburg High School hosts first-ever S.C. Military Veterans Hall of Fame Football Game By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Among the myriad memorial services held late last week commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks – and honoring first responders to include the military – perhaps none wereContinue Reading
Sermon delivered to the congregation of Main Street United Methodist Church in Columbia, S.C. By W. Thomas Smith Jr. EDITORIAL NOTE: TODAY marks the 25th anniversary the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. On the 10th anniversary – 2011 – writer and military analyst W. Thomas Smith Jr. was asked toContinue Reading
Lt. Governor Evette: “Health and well-being is not just a nice thing to do anymore — it is a business imperative” By W. Thomas Smith Jr. The South Carolina Healthy Business Coalition (SCHBC) held several coalition-launch events across the Palmetto State late last month with headlining business and political leadersContinue Reading
Chronicling my early years of wind sprints and distance running By W. Thomas Smith Jr. I often write about THE IMPORTANCE OF STRENGTH TRAINING: I’m not a competitive powerlifter, but I do regularly work out. I have for years. And my doctors tell me that my years of strengthContinue Reading