greenvilleroadwarriors.com: Nominate a Hometown Hero

November 12	Decemeber 8
Staff Sgt. Auston Thompson	John Holmgreen

Auston S. Thompson enlisted in the Marine Corps at the age of 17. His 10 years of service include an overseas deployment in East Timor, as well as two tours of duty in Iraq with the 1^st MEF. Thompson was part of operations to reclaim Fallujah and Ramadi. Following his second tour in Iraq, Thompson was awarded a Navy Meritorious Medal. During his time with the Marines, Thompson has earned a Presidential Unit Citation, Operation Iraqi Freedom Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal as well as several other awards. Thompson is now a student at Clemson University, where he is working towards a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. He currently lives in Greenville with his wife Kayla, and their two sons Maddox and Ryker.	John Holmgreen started working in Emergency Medical Services in Laurens County in April of 1980. In March of 1983, Holmgreen went to work for Greenville County EMS where he held several positions which included Field Paramedic, Dispatcher, Shift Supervisor and Rescue Specialist. In 1992 he helped found the Rescue Division of the Greenville County Fire Chiefs Association – Emergency Response Team, which he continues to train with to this day. Holmgreen worked with the Swift Water Rescue Team at the 1996 Summer Olympics and provided water rescue coverage at the Canoe and Kayak venue in Tennessee. He has been married to his wife Kathy for 25 years and they have an 18 year old son named Eric, who started college this year.
January 13	January 21
David Bingham	Sgt Paul Hendsbee

David Bingham enlisted in the military on December 5^th, 2005. He was deployed to Afghanistan in January of 2007 where he worked in the mountains shooting mortars for 12 months. He was injured while in combat and is now medically retired.	Sgt Paul Hendsbee grew up in Georgia and joined the Marines in December 2000. He was assigned to Fox Company, 2^nd Battalion, 2^nd Marines at Camp Lejeune, NC and has two combat deployments to Iraq. He was a part of the initial invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and then returned to Iraq in 2004 for his second deployment. During this deployment, Sgt Hendsbee was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor for his actions in combat. His company was heavily engaged with the enemy and Sgt Hendsbee’s leadership and technical expertise with his machine gun allowed him to assist with the extract of other Marines who were pinned down under fire. He was also wounded in August 2004 when his vehicle was hit with an explosive device, projecting him from the vehicle, but he continued with his mission. Sgt Hendsbee was discharged from the Marines in December of 2004 and later moved to Greenville with his two young daughters. He now works at the Greenville Water System and is a volunteer for the Marines Wounded Warrior Regiment.
February 11	February 17
Col Ronald Franklin Taylor	Bo Cable

Colonel Ronald Franklin Taylor is a native of Columbia, South Carolina. His Military career began in 1980 where he served in the enlisted ranks from 1980 – 1993 and achieved the rank of Sergeant First Class. In 1993, he graduated from Officers Candidate School and was commissioned as Second Lieutenant in the Infantry Corp. Before being assigned as the J1.1 (Service Member and Family Care Director) for the South Carolina National Guard, his most recent assignments included Provost Marshal, 218th Infantry Brigade (BCT) and Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix/OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, Afghanistan. Other assignments include Executive Officer, 122d Engineer Battalion (Cbt); Assistant S1, 59th Troop Command; Assistant S3, 59th Troop Command; , XVIII Airborne Corps and OPERATION DESERT SHIELD/STORM, Saudi Arabia/Kuwait/Iraq. His awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal. Colonel Taylor was an avid Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Explorer. He is married to the former Kristy Ann Shafer and they have one son Zeb, who is five years old.	Bo was formerly a digital media executive with a national publisher and serial entrepreneur. He is now the founder and executive director of the Generous Garden Project, a South Carolina non-profit that grows fresh produce to give away to food insecure.
March 3	March 24
Lt Commander Woody Hayes	Sgt Travis Hamrick

Hayes entered the navy in 1991 as a graduate of Oregon State University and an ensign aboard the USS Roosevelt aircraft carrier. After completing flight school on the commodores list in Pensacola, Florida, he was chosen as one of the few to fly navy jets and reported to Kingsville, Texas. He was promoted to lieutenant and joined the oldest fighter squadron in the land: VF-14 Tophatters. The remainder of the decade saw Lieutenant Hayes flying F-14 tomcats over the Persian Gulf while aboard the USS John F. Kennedy. While stationed in Virginia, he completed the training for landing signals officer and received numerous citations for flight excellence, including the navy achievement medal and commendation medals. He joined his squadron for the maiden voyage of the first nuclear aircraft carrier: USS Stennis. He went on to fly F-18 hornets in Lamoore, California and joined the elite top gun school in 1999 with the coveted title of adversary. The new millennium brought opportunities to train pilots at top gun and help design the joint strike fighter as part of the Boeing team. A transition from active duty to reserve duty was made in 2002. After moving to Greenville in 2005, Lieutenant Commander Hayes joined the VFC 111 ! Sundowners squadron in Key West flying F-5 fighter jets. He is one of the few pilots to have flown both Hornets and Tomcats and to have achieved top hook status while serving in the fleet. He retired from the US Navy Reserves in April of 2011 after a distinguished and admirable career. He now assists in coaching the Greater Greenville Hockey Association mighty mites and enjoys being a team dad for the UCDC clogging teams. He is a frequent volunteer at St. James Episcopal and a devoted husband, son, and father.	Sgt Travis Hamrick grew up in Gaffney, South Carolina and went to Marine Corps Boot camp on August 13, 2001. He reported to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines in Hawaii and served as an infantryman there, deploying to Okinawa Japan on two different occasions. Hamrick then reported for duty with 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and deployed to the middle east with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in 2006. In 2008, Hamrick along with the rest of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, was deployed to Helmund Province, Afghanistan. Sgt Hamrick was honorably discharged from the Corps in 2011 and now lives in Greenville. He attends school at Virginia College and also volunteers for the Marine’s Wounded Warrior Regiment.
March 30	April 6
Debby Whitsitt	Dave Shaffer

Debby is not a typical hometown hero. Her story is unique in that both of her sons chose to serve in our Armed Forces. Her oldest son Steven Whitsitt is a Mineman Second Class Petty Officer serving in the United States Navy and preparing for his fourth deployment to the seas of the Middle East. Debby lost her younger son Specialist Geoffrey Whitsitt, assigned to The Mighty 118th Military Police Company, Airborne on January 13,2010 killed by an IED deliberately set by Taliban. After a long road of recovery, she worked with Cheryl Childers to put together a Hero's 5K. This run was created to raise money for the Upstate Military Support Coalition. An organization whose mission is “Caring For Those Who Serve”. This organization is to support the soldiers and their family’s currently serving on our Armed Forces. You can read more about this event and how to support it by going to “A Hero’s 5K” Facebook Page. The Department of the Army has also awarded Debby Whitsitt “The Commanders Award For Public Service”, the fourth highest award that a civilian could receive from the Army.	Dave served our country as a marine during desert storm and after fifteen years of service was medically retired. He has received numerous awards including Army and Navy Achievement, Humanitarian Service was awarded Sea Service twice and most recently voted First Lieutenant of Powdersville Volunteer Fire Department.