Mullikin honored by USC during gameday halftime ceremonies

By W. Thomas Smith Jr.

Maj. Gen. Tom Mullikin, commander of the S.C. State Guard (SCSG) and a former U.S. Army officer, was honored for his service to the state and nation during halftime ceremonies at the South Carolina vs. Wofford football game, Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, Saturday, November 18.

A Camden-based attorney, university professor and internationally-recognized global expedition leader, Mullikin [pictured center and to the right of USC athletic director Ray Tanner] has served as commander (commanding general) of the SCSG since 2014.

Mullikin was joined by two other military veterans who were also recognized: Mr. Frank Singleton, a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, and Sgt. Ramon Guitard, a U.S. Army veteran of the Iraq War. The three were honored as part of the University of South Carolina’s “Military Appreciation Day.” The previous Saturday, November 11, was Veterans Day. And November is Veterans Month.

“I am humbled and tremendously honored to receive this recognition by my alma mater,” said Mullikin. “But perhaps more-so because this great university is always recognizing and striving to find new ways to reach out to and serve this state’s sizeable veterans’ community. And our veterans – active, Reserve, Guard, retired and former – are so important to this state.”

A graduate of both USC (undergraduate) and the USC School of Law, Mullikin is today a research professor in environmental policy at Coastal Carolina University. He began his military career as a U.S. Army Reserve JAG lawyer and was attached as an international legal officer to a Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne) within the U.S. Special Operations Command. Following his Army service, Mullikin served as special assistant to the Chief Prosecutor of Military Commissions, U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Mark Martins, who previously said, “Because of his extraordinary work, I can confidently affirm that Mullikin’s efforts are a meaningful contribution to the whole of our national security efforts.”

Mullikin is a noted world adventurer, having climbed four of the world’s seven great summits and having logged multiple dives in five oceans (now nearing a record for the combination of both climbs and dives). He is also an author and an award-winning film producer.

Founded in 1801, USC is a nationally ranked public university and the flagship university for the Palmetto State.

For more information, please visit http://www.sc.edu/.