COLUMBIA, S.C. - The South Carolina Department of Veterans’ Affairs (SCDVA) is proud to announce Retired Army First Sergeant Alvin King as the inaugural South Carolina Veteran of the Year for the 2022-2023 nomination cycle. The Veteran of the Year award serves a recognition dedicated to honoring the remarkable contributions of Veterans in our community.
1SG King, a 20-year Veteran of the United States Army, has been selected by an Internal Selection Committee among a
total of four candidates that were honored as Veteran of the Quarter. King is the founder of the nonprofit Range Fore Hope Foundation, which focuses on facilitating outdoor activities as a positive outlet for active-duty service members, combat and disabled Veterans, and their dependents. The foundation’s goal is to assist with overcoming the challenges associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other difficulties faced by Veterans and their families.
The Veteran of the Year will be honored during two ceremonies. On Veterans Day, Saturday, November 11, King will be recognized alongside other Veterans during halftime of the annual “Salute the Troops” South Carolina Athletics football game when Carolina takes on Vanderbilt at 12 p.m. at Williams Brice Stadium.
On Tuesday, November 14th Governor Henry McMaster in conjunction with SCDVA Secretary Todd B. McCaffrey, will convene a special press ceremony at the South Carolina State House 11 a.m. This will be a formal presentation to King with the inaugural South Carolina Veteran of the Year award.
Secretary McCaffrey, and 1SG (Ret.) Alvin King will be available for media interviews immediately following the State House ceremony. For broadcast or news media interviews prior or following the State House ceremony please contact SCDVA Director of Public Information, Brandon Wilson for availability requests.
The Veteran of the Year is selected by an Internal Selection Committee from among the four Veteran of the Quarter recipients. Veteran of the Quarter honorees are selected from the pool of Veteran of the Week nominations. For more information on the Veteran of the Week nomination process click here.
