On the morning of April 5, students, faculty, staff and members of the military community gathered to participate in Clemson University’s 10th annual Mile of Honor. The event — a coordinated walk from the President’s Rotunda to the Scroll of Honor — honors those who have served and especially remembers those who have given their lives for our country.
Student Veterans Association President Webb Gillespie, a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, kicked off the ceremony with opening remarks. Vice President for Student Affairs Doug Hallenbeck followed with a few thoughts from University leadership.
“One of our University’s values is patriotism, and that’s intentional. We place so much value and pride in our military heritage and the veterans who have served,” Hallenbeck says.
Zaina Nait Omar ‘22, a graduate teaching assistant in the Department of History, shared a few words about a specific Clemson hero — Seneca native Foster Doyle Mitchell — and hung a dog tag in his memory. She came across Mitchell’s name when conducting research for a World War II essay and, after finding no photos of him and being unable to locate any surviving family members, she took it upon herself to tell his story. Mitchell ‘44 earned his degree in engineering from Clemson before enlisting in the Marine Corps, where he earned the esteemed Purple Heart for his service. He was killed in action on Iwo Jima in February 1945, but his legacy now lives on at Clemson.
The featured speaker was retired colonel and Clemson alum Sandy Edge ‘72. Edge served for 28 years in the Air Force before returning to Clemson in 1997 as commander of the Air Force ROTC detachment and head of the aerospace studies department. He has earned numerous awards over the course of his career — recognition for both his service in the Air Force and his involvement at Clemson. Edge expressed immense gratitude for the turnout and commended the uniqueness of Clemson’s military program.
“Not many places in the country do things like this — nobody celebrates our military like we do at Clemson,” he says, “and we do it with pride.”
Each participant in the event was encouraged to pick up a miniature American flag and a corresponding slip of paper, which provided personal and biographical information about one of the heroic Clemson alumni who gave their life in service. Individuals carried these items with them in the procession, led by Clemson’s Pershing Rifles.
After arriving at the Scroll of Honor, each participant set out to find the stone honoring the name of their selected hero. When located, the flag was planted next to the stone as a display of respect for the service member. In total, 498 flags were planted — one for each hero — by more than 100 participants and volunteers.
The Mile of Honor serves as a proud celebration of Clemson’s strong military history and a powerful commemoration of the individuals who made the ultimate sacrifice.