Military Veterans Hall of Fame inductees address media in front of 9/11 memorial

S.C. Military Veterans Hall of Fame holds Veterans Month press conference at Columbia Convention Center, site of the Hall’s permanent home

COLUMBIA, SC, UNITED STATES, November 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Days after celebrating the Marine Corps 250th Birthday in Philadelphia – which included a wreath-laying ceremony at the grave of the Corps’ first Commandant Samuel Nicholas – Major General James E. Livingston, USMC (Ret.) was back in his home state of South Carolina and ringing-in the new S.C. Military Veterans Hall of Fame (SCMVHOF) at the Hall’s permanent home-site at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in Columbia, S.C.

“The mission today is to honor our military veterans and to recognize them for their service and sacrifice,” said Livingston, who at 85 is the Palmetto State’s oldest living recipient of the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for combat valor. “But the most important part of that mission is to educate our kids.”

Livingston was one of five scheduled speakers including Master Sergeant Jay Alverson, who serves as SCMVHOF’s executive director; Lt. Col. James Smith, attorney and former state representative; Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott, also commanding general of the S.C. State Guard; and Col. Kevin Shwedo, the Civilian Aide Emeritus to the Secretary of the Army and current executive director of the S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles.

“We’ve got an opportunity to recognize some magnificent people – past, present, and future,” said Shwedo. “We want people to walk down the hill [from the S.C. State House] walk into the museum [the Hall of Fame] and understand what heroes look like, what contributions to our state and nation look like.”

Lott agrees: “This is for the men and women of South Carolina who were brave enough to take that oath and stand tall to protect this state and this nation so we can have the freedoms we hold and to be here today,” Lott said after being introduced by Shwedo who reminded everyone gathered that Lott was also the 2021 National Sheriff of the Year.

Lott added: “[A willingness to serve and sacrifice for the state and nation] is what makes this Hall of Fame different from any other Hall of Fame.”

The idea for a SCMVHOF was conceived nearly 10 years ago with a committee formed under the original S.C. Military Support Foundation, but that conception did not become a reality until early 2025, officially achieving its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status late last month largely under the leadership of Alverson and [James] Smith.

Lott was instrumental in securing a permanent home for the Hall at the Columbia Convention Center.

SCMVHOF Board chair, retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Will Grimsley, who also chairs the SC250 Commission has facilitated the induction of historical figures into the Hall such as Brig. Gen. Francis Marion, Brig. Gen. Thomas Sumter, Brig. Gen. Andrew Pickens, and Maj. Gen. William Moultrie among others. Those inductees are members of the class of 1776.

In addition to the day’s speakers (each of whom are SCMVHOF inductees as well as serving members of the board), those attending the Friday afternoon press gathering, were Kelly Carson, representing Charlotte, N.C.-based Pearce Bespoke Clothiers (Pearce Bespoke is fitting and producing the jackets for SCMVHOF inductees) and Beth Well, assistant vice president – Donor Relations, Communications and Marketing – at the University of South Carolina.

Other attendees were Bruce Brutschy, a S.C. Black Belt Hall of Fame inductee; Col. Steve Vitali, USMC (Ret.), also an inductee in the S.C. Black Belt Hall of Fame; Col. Neal Pugliese, USMC (Ret.), former chief of staff at Marine Corps Recruit Depot–Parris Island; Command Sgt. Major Ed Bell, U.S. Army (Ret.), director of Government Affairs at the S.C. Department of Veterans Affairs; Sutton Shaw, founder of the Big Red Barn Retreat; and Mitch Ray, executive director of the Big Red Barn.

Among the attending-SCMVHOF inductees were retired Col. W. Thomas Smith Jr., S.C. Military Department (Smith is also a former USMC Infantry leader); Lt. Col. Caroline Fermin, USMC (Ret.); Maj. Lisa Yanity, U.S. Army (Ret.); Capt. Brandy Rogers, USMC (Ret.); Command Sgt. Major Lamont Christian, U.S. Army (Ret.); and Sgt. 1st Class Tim Frisby, U.S. Army (Ret.); all of whom are members of the SCMVHOF Class of 2025.

According to Hall of Fame officials, inductees into the SCMVOF must meet the hall’s exacting standards and criteria as stipulated in the hall’s bylaws for induction. Any potential inductee must first be nominated and pass a rigorous review board.

“Not every veteran who is nominated will be inducted,” said Gen. Livingston. “But the nomination alone is considered quite a badge of honor.”

Inductees include all Medal of Honor recipients from South Carolina – such as living recipients like Gen. Livingston, U.S. Army DELTA Force Sergeant Major Thomas Patrick Payne, U.S. Marine Infantry Corporal Kyle Carpenter, and U.S. Navy SEAL Lieutenant Michael E. Thornton – as well as historically significant military figures like Marion, Sumter, Pickens, and Moultrie.

The press conference was held Friday afternoon, Nov. 14, three days after Veterans Day, in front of the Convention Center’s 9/11 memorial on Lincoln Street, one block from the S.C. State House in Columbia’s Vista.

The S.C. Military Hall of Fame will hold its first annual induction (“enshrinee”) dinner at Fort Jackson on June 6, 2026, the 82nd anniversary of the Invasion of Normandy. At the dinner, Hall-of-Famers (members of the “plank-owners” class) who were officially inducted in 2025 will be formally enshrined as will new inductees for the Class of 2026.

For more information about the S.C. Military Veterans Hall of Fame, please contact Jay Alverson at SCMVHOF@gmail.com.

Master Sergeant Jay Alverson
S.C. Military Veterans Hall of Fame
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