SPARTANBURG, SC – Because our veterans help tell the Spartanburg County story with the legacies they leave behind, Spartanburg County has begun a new program, aimed at honoring our hometown heroes and recording their impressive stories. Each year, we will accept nominations and then choose 21 of those nominated veterans to be inducted into our “Hall of Heroes” for their exceptional honorable service in the Armed Forces.
The new “Hall of Heroes” is named after Spartanburg County native and hero, PFC Thomas E. Atkins, who served in the Army during WWII. He was born in Campobello and is buried in Inman. To read his service story, click here.
A military-style ceremony will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 13th, at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium, for the veterans who are chosen for induction. This event will be open to the public. The recognized veterans will receive an award but will not have to speak at the ceremony.
For a veteran to be eligible for nomination, they must have either been born, currently live in, or are buried in Spartanburg County; and they must have an honorable discharge. To be included in the “Hall of Heroes,” the veteran cannot be eligible for enlistment, re-enlistment, or extension in military service.
A biography (service story) of the veteran and a picture (military photo preferred) must be included in the nomination submission. A shadow box with military awards is recommended for the program but not required. The veteran or veteran’s family must sign a media release form in order to participate.
We will begin accepting nominations for the “Hall of Heroes” immediately. The deadline to submit nominations will be at 5:00 p.m. on August 31st. Veterans can nominate themselves or someone else can nominate them. If it’s a posthumous nomination, the veteran’s family can accept the award on behalf of the veteran.
To submit a nomination, please mail it to “Hall of Heroes, 610 Chesnee Hwy, Spartanburg, SC 29303” or email it to our Director of Veterans’ Affairs, Brent Cobb, at bcobb@spartanburgcounty.org.
At the ceremony on October 13th, we will also recognize up to five individuals or businesses in the community that have gone above and beyond in supporting veterans, veteran families, and veteran outreach in Spartanburg County with our new “Spirit of the Spartan” award.
The “Spirit of the Spartan” award is named after another Spartanburg County native and hero, SGT Gary E. Foster, who served in the Army during WWI. He was born in Spartanburg and is buried in Boiling Springs. To see his service story, click here.
To nominate someone for the “Spirt of the Spartan” award, you must include examples of the nominee’s efforts and achievements. Please send those narratives, as well as a signed media release form, to the same address(es) listed above.
The nominees for “Spirit of the Spartan” do not have to be veterans, but individuals and businesses cannot nominate themselves for this award. The deadline for nomination submission is the same as the one for the “Hall of Heroes” (August 31st).
Like the "Hall of Heroes" inductees, the "Spirit of the Spartan" recipients will not have to speak at the ceremony on October 13th.
Original source can be found here.
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