A new mission for Dad

Dennis Todd is getting used to life in Greenwood again
following his 14-month tour in Iraq

November 18, 2006

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal staff writer

It’s not often you hear about people gratefully flocking to colder temperatures as the year wears on.
Dennis Todd, however, was more than grateful to return to the chilly fall air in upstate South Carolina after a year on the scorching, war-torn sands of Iraq.
Todd, of Greenwood, is a member of the South Carolina National Guard Delta Company 111th Signal Battalion. The unit returned Thursday after a 14-month tour in Iraq.
Todd said he sincerely enjoyed sleeping in his own bed again Thursday night.
“It felt great, man,” Todd said. “It felt really great. Iraq is eight hours ahead of us, so I’m still getting used to the time change. But it’s not too bad so far.”
Todd served as a mechanic during his time in Iraq, servicing trucks, Hummers, tanks and any other machinery that needed attention. He said the work kept him going all the time.
“We stayed so busy,” Todd said. “Because of the extreme heat and conditions over there, the trucks and Hummers were constantly needing attention. It really affected the tires and the undercarriage of the vehicles. We were working the whole tour.”
As one would expect, Todd said the heat was an issue in Tikrit, the area of Iraq in which the 111th was stationed.
He said the heat index would rise as high as 156 degrees. The soldier said it was routinely 130 degrees during the day.
“It gets hot in South Carolina in the summer,” Todd said. “But this was another level. A lot of the guys in our unit did work laying fiber optic cable, and they could only work five or six hours at a clip because of the heat.”
Todd said soldiers consumed as many liquids as possible — with a half-water, half-Gatorade mix being the preferred beverage — to stay hydrated during a work day.
As hot as it was during the day, Todd said it was also cold at night.
“We were really thankful the base had central cooling and heating systems,” he said. “The troops that came to Iraq well before we arrived didn’t have anything like that. That huge shift from hot to cold every day was something else.”
Todd said the terrain in Tikrit was what he expected it to be, with barren desert being the predominant landscape.
However, he said many of the Iraqi people he encountered did not meet his preconceived notions.
“There was tension in our minds when we first got there, as far as meeting Iraqis,” Todd said. “But after a while, things settled down. I met some really nice people there. That’s something I want people to know: Everybody over there is not all bad.
“You see things on television, and everybody is not like that in Iraq. I got to know a lot of people over there that live to meet Americans.”
Unlike many troops in the 111th, Todd had an opportunity to come home for a week in April, and for good reason: Todd’s first child, DeMarcus, was born April 18. Todd was flown back to the U.S. to be with his wife, Shirneata, during the delivery.
Todd said he nearly missed the delivery, as his orders to return home didn’t initially coincide with the due date.
After speaking with his commanding officers and cutting through the proverbial red tape, he made it home on time.
“I had to be there for the birth of my son,” Todd said. “I appreciate the officers who helped make it happen. It was tough having to leave (DeMarcus) a week later, though.”
Todd said he is busy getting acquainted with his now 7-month-old son. He acknowledges that DeMarcus is really just getting comfortable with him for the first time.
Now Todd is set to segue back into general society, and re-assume his position at his job at C&S Wholesale in Mauldin. He said he will return to work after the new year, as his orders with the National Guard continue until Dec. 15.
The soldier expressed his appreciation for his employer’s patience and support during his absence.
“I can’t say enough about C&S,” Todd said. “They have been so supportive and understanding about everything. They are proud of our troops.”
When it comes to pride and support of the troops, Todd said he was blown away by the show of confidence the 111th received Thursday in Ware Shoals.
“I was surprised,” Todd said. “The people that came out, they don’t know how much we appreciate that. You hear things in the media and all that, so it was great to see so many people out who supported what we are doing.”

Ready for another challenge

Jim Kier announces his retirement as county manager

November 18, 2006

By MEGAN VARNER
Senior staff writer

A number of changes are in store for Greenwood County government during the coming year.
Many county employees will be moving their offices to the Textile Building in Uptown Greenwood, leaving behind their current locations in Park Plaza and the Greenwood County Courthouse.
A new council member, Rhett Dominick, also will be taking a seat on the Greenwood County Council.
And a familiar face in the county government will be saying goodbye after more than a decade of service to county residents and employees.
County Manager Jim Kier announced his upcoming retirement during the Nov. 7 county council meeting, and over the next year he will be scaling back his duties with the county’s government.
“I basically will stay, in some capacity, through the end of next year,” Kier said, “but the last three months will be in a limited capacity.”
Kier came to Greenwood County about 11 years ago, he said, after working for most of his career in North Carolina.
A graduate of Alderson-Broaddus College and the University of Tennessee, Kier said he has thoroughly enjoyed his time serving Greenwood County residents and working with the county’s seven-member council.
“It is a challenging job and it is an interesting job,” Kier said, chuckling. “It changes on a daily basis, but it has also been a good job.”

AS COUNTY MANAGER, Kier said he is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the county government, such as the supervision of various county departments and personnel, carrying out policies adopted by the county council, bringing issues to council members and working on projects to better the county.
“Probably the biggest task is the preparation and submittal of the annual budget,” Kier said. “I also get a lot of calls from citizens who have issues or problems, and council has been very good about directing those to me so that we can handle them through the proper channels.”
Kier’s relationship with council during his tenure as manager has been “fantastic,” said Robbie Templeton, county council chairman. Templeton said he was a member of the county council that brought Kier to Greenwood.
“We could not have known 12 years ago how well he would turn out. We hit the jackpot when we hired Jim and we’ve been fortunate to have him as long as we did,” Templeton said. “I can’t say enough good things about him. He has a tough job to do and he’s done a great job with it.”
Assistant County Manager Thessa Smith said Kier’s retirement “is not like losing a boss, but like losing a friend.”
“I am so sad — we all are,” Smith said. “We really understand that this is a wonderful opportunity for him and we are happy for him, but everybody here is saddened.”
Smith said Kier has been the best supervisor she has had, adding that his motto of working with people, rather than against them, is just one of the many “life learnings” Kier has taught her over the years. “He’s very intellectual and I really respect him so much. He is a man of great integrity and he does what is best for everybody. He looks for the win-win in every situation,” Smith said.

STILL, SMITH said she looks forward to assisting the next county manager.
“Jim made a lot of great progress with the county, and I’d like to keep that progress going,” she said.
Templeton said the search for Kier’s replacement is “close to being under way,” adding that the applicants for the position will have big shoes to fill.
“There will be a lot of interest in the job because Greenwood is a great community,” Templeton said. “We hope we can find somebody fairly quickly to come in so that they can work with Jim for a while.”
Kier said he would like to be able to work alongside his successor at least through the county’s budget cycle, to give the new manager a chance to “build a relationship with the council” before he leaves the position completely.
“I don’t think we’ll have difficulty in finding a replacement for me,” Kier added. “Greenwood is a well-respected county in the state and I think this will be an attractive job to a number of people.”
Kier said two of the biggest issues facing Greenwood County have been taken care of with the voters’ approval of the special 1-percent sales and use tax, which will allow the county to make mandated repairs to the Lake Greenwood Dam and start construction on a new Greenwood County Library. On the horizon, a new detention center will be an issue the new county manager might have to face, Kier added.
But just because Kier is retiring from county government, he isn’t leaving the working world just yet.
He’ll be spending his time teaching political science to students at Lander University.
“I’ve been teaching there part time for about five years now, and I’ve decided to go ahead and do it full time,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed teaching and it has been fun to get back into the learning mode and dealing with students.”
Kier said he will miss the daily interaction with county residents and employees, but he said the timing was right for him to move along.
“It is definitely a personal choice,” Kier said. “I’ve enjoyed working for Greenwood County, but I’m ready to have a new challenge in a different atmosphere.”

Eagles move on

Offense sends Eagles to rematch against Westside

November 18, 2006

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

The Eagles dispelled the rumor that they were nothing more than a defensive football team, and in the process, earned the opportunity to practice Thanksgiving week for the first time in three years.
Greenwood’s defense was as stalwart as usually, but the Eagles’ D got a huge lift from the offense and the special team to knock off Ridge View, 34-19, Friday night at J.W. Babb Stadium to advance to next week’s Class AAAA, Divison II semifinal matchup.
“We did a great job in all three facets of the game and that’s all you can ask for,” Greenwood coach Shell Dula said. “One of the great highlights for a high school football is to practice on Thanksgiving. We did it four years real quick, in ’98, ’99, 2000 and 2002. So, it’s going to be exciting to get to do that again.”
And with the win the Eagles (11-2) will get to avenge one of their two losses, as the Class AAAA, Division II’s top seed will host Region I-AAAA rival Westside, which was a winner at Goose Creek.
Greenwood has lost its last two meetings with Westside, including a one-point defeat in Anderson six weeks ago.
“I can’t wait for them,” senior linebacker Mackenzie Tharpe said. “One week from now. It’s going to be great. Because we’ve got something for them.”
Tharpe and the rest of the Greenwood defense held the high-powered Blazer offense in check for most of the night, holding Ridge View to just 12 offensive points and 127 yards passing.
But the Eagles’ offense and special teams were equally as dominating. Senior tailback Marcus Carroll, who still is sporting the cast on his right arm and was suffering from the flu, rushed 135 yards, including 62 yards on a first-quarter touchdown run to give Greenwood the 7-0 lead. Eagles quarterback Jay Spearman finished with 94 rushing yards, running for two fourth-quarter scores to put the game away.
“I was trying my best to open up the pass so we could get the offense rolling and put these boys away,” Carroll said. “Jay’s just a playmaker. And it really helped the offense to settle down to know he had the offense rolling.”
Carroll’s touchdown score was quickly canceled out early in the second quarter when Ridge View put together an 80-yard drive that ended with a Cheston Hickman 21-yard touchdown pass to South All-Star receiver Brandon King, knotting the score at 7.
Three plays from scrimmage later, Spearman’s bullet pass went out of the hands of teammate Josh Norman and right to Ridge View’s Jeremy Cole, who maneuvered from sideline-to-sideline for the 36-yard interception return for a touchdown. The extra point failed, giving the Blazers a momentary 13-7 lead.

BUT THAT'S WHEN the Greenwood special teams gave the team a much-needed boost before the end of first half.
Sophomore Byron Best fielded the ensuing kickoff at his own 15-yard line and sprinted straight up the middle, practically untouched all the way to the opposite end zone for the 85-yard touchdown.
That momentum swing was followed by a pair of Andrew Timms field goals — from 31 and 27 yards — to give the Eagles a 20-13 halftime lead.
“It was huge,” Dula said of the 13-point swing. “The two kicks by Andrew Timms were big because it put us up a touchdown going into the half.”
The Greenwood defense did its part by constantly pestering Hickman. The Blazers’ junior quarterback, who came in averaging more than 250 yards passing a game, was knockdown, pressured and hit by several Eagles in black. Hickman completed only 10-of-35 passes for 127 yards, while tossing two interceptions: one to Tharpe and the other to sophomore safety D.J. Swearinger.
Even the Blazers’ twin towers were shut down. The Blazers’ 6-foot-5 Shrine Bowl receiver Brian Quick finished with only one catch for 13 yards, while King led the Blazers with just three catches for 38 yards and a score.
“Every time they threw the ball, we just wanted to use our jumping ability to our advantage even though we were shorter,” Greenwood 5-11 senior defensive back James Rappley said. “This was just a great feeling.”
But Ridge View had a chance to tie the game midway through the third quarter, taking advantage of Greenwood’s second turnover of the night.
Three plays later, the Blazers were on the 7-yard line. Tailback Chris Tucker capped the six-play drive with a 1-yard leap across the goal line. However, kicker Jordan Stoval missed on his second kick, leaving Greenwood up 20-19.
The one-point lead remained until the fourth quarter when Spearman went to work. The junior, starting at quarterback in only his second playoff game, put the Eagles in the red zone on their first series of the fourth quarter by connecting on a 27-yard fade pass to Norman.
It was only one of three passes Spearman would complete. But Spearman made up for it with his legs. After a procedure penalty moved the Eagles back to the 16-yard line, Spearman ran the ball on two consecutive plays, including a 13-yard run where he bowled over Ridge View’s Chris McMath to get into the end zone. Timms’ extra point made it 27-19 Greenwood.
Spearman added to the total on the next series after Ridge View went three-and-out and then punted for the eighth time. He capped a seven-play drive by following his blockers all the way for a 28-yard run.
“I knew my teammates would lead me there,” Spearman said. “My coaches just told me to go out there and play ball, and I played ball.”

Opinion

Meet, honor real heroes at Marines Birthday Ball

November 18, 2006

When the United States Marines Corps was established on November 10, 1775, it’s likely nobody back then would have envisioned that 231 years later it would be known worldwide as one of the elite military fighting forces of all time. Marines have proved it many times over, and when motion pictures like “Flags of Our Fathers” (about the battle for Iwo Jima), are shown, new generations of Americans are introduced to the real heroes, not the kind that are all too often counterfeit idols these days.

IT’S PROPER, then, to salute the Lakelands Marine Corps League Detachment 1112 as they celebrate with the Corps’ Birthday Ball at Gatewood Club in Greenwood Saturday night.
Guest speaker for the event, which will begin at 6 p.m., will be retired U. S. Marine Major General James E. Livingston. General Livingston is rare among a rare breed of heroes. He is a Congressional Medal of Honor winner from the Vietnam War, and is one of only 111 living recipients from any war who have received the highest award given.

ACCORDING TO local Marines (once a Marine, always a Marine), there are more living Americans who have flown into outer space than those living who have won the Medal of Honor. That illustrates what select company General Livingston is in with his “band of brothers.”
But, then, those who attend the Birthday Ball tonight will all be in select company. They’re Marines. That’s understood.

MARINES HAVE put their lives on the line for all Americans, so it’s no surprise they have opened this Birthday Ball to the general public. There will be a live band along with all the other festivities and food. Tickets are $50 for a couple and $30 for a single. They will be available at the door.
Military dress uniforms or veterans organizations attire is optional. Otherwise, men will wear suit and tie and women will wear short cocktail or evening dresses.

TO BORROW from Thomas Paine, these are times that try men’s souls. It’s also a time to pay homage to the U. S. Marine Corps and those valiant men and women who have been and are a part of the best of American courage and valor.
Join the fun and relive memories tonight at the Gatewood Club. The Marines will land there a little before 6 p.m. and you can bet they will have the situation well in hand. They always have.

Obituaries

Pearl Smith

Pearl Turner Smith, 67, resident of 406 Ligon Road, wife of Robert L. Smith, died Nov. 17, 2006 at the Hospice House.
Born in Greenwood, Dec. 2, 1938, she was a daughter of the late Oscar and Bessie Coleman Turner. She was a graduate of Greenwood High School and was formerly employed by Self Memorial Hospital. Mrs. Smith was a member of Coronaca Baptist Church.
Surviving in addition to her husband of the home are a daughter, Robin D. Smith; two sisters, Mary Garrison and Katherine Cannon, all of Greenwood; four grandchildren, Jima L. Johnson, Simon J. Garrett, Ryan T. Smith, and Adam L. Smith; three great-grandchildren.
In addition to her parents, Mrs. Smith was predeceased by a daughter, Reneé Smith Garrett; a brother, Tom Turner; a sister, Roberta Spivey.
Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Sunday from the Blyth Funeral Home chapel with Rev. Chris Garrison and Rev. Wade Burton officiating.
Burial will be in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers will be Michael Dorn, Timmy Brooks, Joseph Brooks, John Robert Smith, Todd Smith, Greg Cannon, Joey Goldman, and James Johnson.
The family is at the home on Ligon Road and will receive friends at the funeral home from 6 to 8 Saturday evening.
Memorials may be made to Connie Maxwell Children’s Home, P.O. Box 1178, Greenwood, SC 29648.
For additional information and online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Smith family.