On Monday evening, April 8, 2019, the Dillon County, SC Veterans of the Year Organization held their second annual banquet/business meeting at Sidney’s Restaurant in Dillon.
Eleven past Veterans of the Year and their guests attended as well as special guests Rev. Mike Rouse, Mr. Jim Hepler, Mr. Jackson Stone, and Mr. Glenn Greene.
At 6:30 p.m., Sergeant- At-Arms Harry Moore opened the meeting.
Rev. Mike Rouse of Latta United Methodist Church opened the affair with an excellent rendition of the National Anthem accompanied by Mr. Jim Hepler on keyboard, and the invocation/blessing of the meal.
Organization President made remarks, welcomed everyone, explained order of the program, and thanked those whose generous donations made the event possible.
New organization officers were elected: President: James Lockemy, 1st Vice-President: James Leslie, 2nd Vice- President: Terry Morris, Secretary-Treasurer Jerry Huggins, and Sergeant-At-Arms: Harry Moore.
During the mealtime, we were entertained by Mr. Jackson Stone who is a multi-musical instrument qualified player. He played for us a beautiful rendition of Amazing Grace on his Saxophone. He also played exceptionally well suited music on his keyboard while we were dining.
The special guest speaker was the Honorable Kevin Shwedo, the Director of the S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles, who was appointed by former Govetnor Nikki Haley. Mr. Shwedo also holds the coveted title as the State of South Carolina Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army the Honorable Mark Esper.
Prior to his appointment as the SCDMV Executive Director, Colonel Shwedo was the Deputy Commanding Officer of the United States Army Training Center at Fort Jackson. He retired from the United States Army in January with 32 years of service. During his career, he served in various leadership and developmental positions within the Army.
In previous assignments, he served as a project officer at the U.S. Army Infantry School and later as a platoon leader in the 197th Infantry Brigade. He moved to Germany where he commanded two infantry companies. Colonel Shwedo then taught leadership at the U.S. Army Engineer School for two years and later served as the Senior Combat Arms Analyst to the Director of Officer Personnel Management at the Total Army Personnel Command in Alexandria, Virginia. At Fort Carson, Colorado, he served as a Battalion S-3 for 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment. Following graduation from the Command and General Staff College in 1991, Colonel Shwedo was assigned to Fort Polk, Louisiana and served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for the 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Battalion S-3 and Executive Officer for the 4th Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment and the S-3 for the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Armored Division.
In El Paso, Texas, Colonel Shwedo served as the Director of Personnel and Deputy Chief of Staff for Joint Task Force Six. In July 1995, he moved to South Carolina where he took command of the 2nd Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment at Fort Jackson. He then served as the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3 for the 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized) during the Division Advanced Warfighting Experiment. After graduating from the Army War College in 1999, he was assigned to the U.S. Army Forces Command in Atlanta where he served as the Special Assistant and Speechwriter to the Commanding General of United States Army Forces Command in Atlanta, Georgia. Colonel Shwedo then successfully commanded the largest Basic Combat Training Brigade on the Army at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Following command, Colonel Shwedo was reassigned to Fort Monroe, Virginia for duty as both the Chief of the TRADOC (Training and Doctrine Command) Commanding General’s Planning Group, followed by selection to become the G-3 (Director of Operations, Plans and Training) for United States Army Accessions Command.
Director Shwedo talked to us about what real value returning veterans bring back home to a community and or employers. Their self-starting attitudes, self-discipline, team worker attributes and leadership abilities to diagnose, fix the problem, and lead/instill that same trait in others making any situation a win-win for everyone. He also expressed his thanks for our local veteran population giving back to other veterans that are in need. He cited the Help for Vets, Inc. right here in Dillon as the most visible example
Also discussed was to establish a special award for a Dillon County deceased veteran who was never selected as a Veteran of the Year.
It will be an annual award and presented on Memorial Day each year at our Memorial Day Ceremony.
To close out the evening, Rev. Rouse sang the benediction with a wonderful rendition of America the Beautiful.
The event was adjourned at 9:40 p.m.
A great, relaxing and wonderful time was enjoyed everwe are looking forward to doing the same next year.

PHOTO GALLERY
PHOTOS BY JOHNNIE DANIELS/ THE DILLON HERALD
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