The No. 2-ranked South Carolina women’s basketball team will have a new addition when it takes on No. 4 Texas on Thursday night.

When most people think of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, they picture a tourist destination with ample sunshine, sandy beaches, and beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean. 

But soon Myrtle Beach will feature a more meaningful attraction city officials believe is long overdue – a Vietnam War memorial. 

Last week, more than 500 curious residents of the oceanside southern hamlet attended a groundbreaking event for the new memorial, which will be in The Market Common at Warbird Park. 

Entrance to the memorial will feature the words “Welcome Home,” a phrase many Vietnam veterans never heard upon returning from war more than five decades ago. 

During construction, an 8-foot, multi-sided wall will be built, along with a reflecting pool and a memorial garden. The goal: to finish most of the work before this year’s Memorial Day weekend, according to The Post & Courier.  

Long Overdue Welcome Home 

Some of the project’s organizers spoke at the groundbreaking, including retired Air Force Col. Thomas “Buddy” Styers who shouted enthusiastically to many Vietnam veterans in attendance, “Welcome home, brothers, welcome home!” 

“For those who don’t know what that means, it’s for all that they went through,” Styers said. 

Styers, a Myrtle Beach resident, is the executive director of the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base Redevelopment Authority. Himself a Vietnam veteran, Styers can relate to the negativity many of his fellow soldiers faced when they came home. Styers returned to the U.S. in 1970 after serving a tour in Vietnam. 

“I came home through the San Francisco airport at 1 o’clock in the morning. It was winter and I was in short sleeves,” Styers said. “Right around the corner there were (protestors) waiting for people in uniform. They were calling us names and worse. … It was the first time I’d ever seen men with long hair.”

Project Came Together Quickly 

In 1992, Styers retired from the Air Force and in 1993, the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base closed. Styers took the lead in helping the dormant 114-acre former base transform into The Market Common, a vibrant residential and commercial hub. At the center of the district is Warbird Park, which already includes a World War II memorial, along with an exhibit of some of the aircraft previously housed at the old Air Force base. 

“I knew we had to preserve the history of the Air Force and the military in Myrtle Beach,” he said, “and this is the one piece that has been missing.”

The city’s redevelopment group donated $600,000 to construct the memorial, and other local donors chipped in. The project has moved along quickly. Organizers started the planning phase early last year after receiving input from Myrtle Beach area veterans’ groups, which proved vital in moving the project along. 

The project’s brisk execution impressed Meredith Denari, a city spokesperson, who told the Post & Courier that seeing the memorial develop from an idea to Wednesday’s groundbreaking in a year was a “true community effort.” 

Memorial Features 

Mike Lowder, a Myrtle Beach city council member, became emotional talking about the memorial to veterans in attendance. 

“This is a small way for the city of Myrtle Beach to say, ‘Welcome home,’” Lowder said. 

Jessica Wise, head architect for the project, said the memorial needed to showcase several themes. 

“We wanted the memorial to be a place of visibility, remembrance, reflection, gratitude, storytelling and education,” she said.

The Vietnam memorial wall will be illuminated at night and will include images, engravings and statues. It will also include quotes from past presidents Jimmy Carter and Franklin Roosevelt. Stone benches will also be placed at the site to give people a chance to reflect on the sacrifices of the Vietnam War and connect with other visitors. 

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WPDE) — South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson unveiled the 2025 Annual Report on human trafficking at the State House Monday, which highlighted the ongoing battle against this pervasive crime.

As Chair of the South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force, Wilson was joined by task force leadership and law enforcement officials from various levels to present the report’s findings.

In 2025, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) investigated 315 tips, involving over 300 potential victims, with a significant number of cases involving minors.

Investigations spanned 41 of the state’s counties, with Greenville leading at 35 cases, followed by Berkeley and Charleston with 30 each, Richland with 28, Lexington with 27, and Dorchester with 21. Only five counties reported no cases.

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While data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline was absent due to an operator transition, the report incorporated statistics from the Department of Social Services and the Department of Juvenile Justice, underscoring the various entry points for identifying minor victims.

“Human trafficking is not a challenge any single agency can solve alone,” said Wilson. “Through the leadership of the State Task Force and the dedication of our partners, South Carolina remains a model on how to best address this crime.”

A significant initiative launched in 2025 was the South Carolina Safe House Certification Program, aimed at service providers working with trafficking victims. In collaboration with the Safe House Project, the Task Force certified programs at four organizations: Doors to Freedom, the Formation Project, Jasmine Road, and Lighthouse for Life. South Carolina is the first state to mandate a statewide certification for specialized human trafficking programs, which are now listed in the Task Force’s online resource directory.

“The data continues to inform how we shape and implement statewide initiatives from specialized training and certification to public awareness and prevention education,” said Monique Garvin, Director of the Task Force.

The event was attended by SLED Chief Mark Keel, State Task Force Subcommittee Chairs, regional task force chairs, nonprofit leaders, and other anti-human trafficking advocates.

For more information, the annual report is available on the State Task Force website at humantrafficking.scag.gov.

To report incidents or seek victim services, individuals can contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888, which operates confidentially 24/7.