Dr. Tom Mullikin was joined by legislators, and fellow military veterans including retired U.S. Army Maj. General Todd B. McCaffrey, secretary (director) of the S.C. Department of Veterans Affairs; and 101-year-old military veteran Willie White
By Chris Carter
Military veterans, state legislators, university professors, historians, and veterans’ supporters gathered on the north steps of the S.C. State House, Tuesday, September 2, to commemorate the official end of World War II (September 2, 1945). The event, hosted by Tnovsa Global Commons, a nonprofit organization focused on historic preservation and S.C. history, featured, among others, Dr. Tom Mullikin, director of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR).
A decorated retired senior military officer, having served with the Judge Advocate General Corps, U.S. Army Reserve, where he was the international legal officer and assistant staff judge advocate attached to an element of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (and whose late father Charles was a WWII soldier who participated in some of the heaviest fighting in Western Europe while serving in the U.S. Army’s Rogers’ Raiders, an ad hoc special operations unit), Mullikin addressed the attendees, praising the Palmetto State for its overwhelming response to the nation’s call following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.
A portion of Dr. Mullikin’s remarks follow:
“We gather not simply to remember the conclusion of history’s greatest conflict, but to reflect on what it meant for the people of South Carolina—those who fought abroad, those who labored at home, and the generations that followed who inherited both freedom and responsibility.
“When America was called, South Carolina answered. Over 200,000 sons and daughters of this state wore the uniform of our nation in World War II. From the beaches of Normandy to the islands of the Pacific, their courage was tested in the harshest conditions imaginable.
“Our state’s military posts—Fort Jackson, Parris Island, Shaw Field, and Charleston Naval shipyard, Columbia Army Air Base (a key component site in the history of Doolittle’s Raiders) and myriad airfields and outposts across the state including Camp Croft in the Upstate and Fort Moultrie in the Lowcountry adjacent to the aforementioned Naval Shipyard —became critical training and mobilization centers. Thousands of young recruits learned discipline and duty right here on South Carolina soil before carrying the fight across oceans.
“At home, families rationed, farmers worked longer hours, and industries in places like Greenville and Charleston shifted overnight to produce the materials of war. The entire state became part of a national effort where every sacrifice, large and small, pushed us closer to victory.”
Mullikin discussed his family’s direct connection to and service in the war.
“For me, this 80th anniversary [of the end of the war] carries special meaning,” said Mullikin. “My father, Charlie Mullikin, served in the U.S. Army’s Rogers’ raiders —a combat reconnaissance unit that earned its name through bold, daring missions across the Roer River and into Germany as part of the 102nd Infantry Division.
“This was the kind of work my father and many others were part of—surging ahead under cover of night, gathering intelligence, sparking offenses that turned the tide of battle. These missions were not just brave; they were pivotal, tactical breakthroughs that exemplified ingenuity, discipline, and leadership.
“My father was honored recently this year when a road at OPFOB, a veterans retreat near Ridgeland, S.C., was named in his honor. That dedication was more than a signpost—it was a reminder that his service, and the service of all who fought, continues to guide us today. It tells us that sacrifice is never forgotten, and that freedom carries with it a living memory that shapes the roads we travel, quite literally, here in South Carolina.”
Mullikin discussed the human cost of the war, 4,500 South Carolinans in fact who never returned home. He also mentioned previous wars involving South Carolina.
“We fought more Revolutionary battles and skirmishes [here] than in all other states,” Mullikin said. “Historians estimate over 200 battles and skirmishes were fought on South Carolina soil. …Some sources count more than 400 battles, skirmishes and events if every minor clash and partisan raid is included.”
Mullikin, a renowned global expedition leader, retired two-star commanding general of the S.C. State Guard, and chair of the gubernatorially established S.C. Floodwater Commission, was named SCDNR director in February.
– Chris Carter is a former semi-pro football player and U.S. Air Force veteran whose articles have appeared in Ops Lens, Human Events, Canada Free Press, Deutsche Welle, and NavySEALs.com among other publications.
