On the day after Memorial Day 2026, our School District of Pickens County held a ceremony at LHS to honor our 4 Congressional Medal of Honor recipients from Pickens County.

These four men gave their lives to preserve our freedoms and they are our heroes. I visited and talked with 3 of these families and the common request from each one was, “Please don’t forget their sacrifice”.

For those who do not know, our county has 4 Congressional Medal of Honor recipients and per capita, we have more than any county in the United States of America.

Our students and citizens need to know who these men were and why they are revered in our nation, state and county.

We have a humbling memorial in place behind our Pickens County Courthouse that will tell you why each brave man was awarded this United States military highest honor.

Now we will have these heroes’ plaques with their picture and heroic actions listed in each of our High Schools in Pickens County.

Now every student will be able to see and read about Private Furman L. Smith, Private Charles H. Barker, Lance Corporal James D. Howe and Private William A. McWhorter in each of our Pickens County High Schools.

Special thanks to Representative Phillip Bowers for getting this started and to all SDPC leaders who made this ceremony and Memorial unveiling such a great event. The Barker family had brother Rev. Doyle Barker, his wife Julia and daughter Sandy Barker Melton representing Charles Barker and The Howe family had 1st cousin Larry Howe, his wife Lynn and grandson Lochlan representing James D. Howe. Former LHS teacher, Jean Toole shared a story of James D. Howes fellow soldier driving all the way from California to visit the Howe family home, now Liberty Pharmacy.

He was one of the soldiers’ lives that was saved when James D. Howe jumped on the grenade that fateful day. He brough his niece to Liberty SC to remember the man who saved his life. In the words of our 40th President Ronald Reagan, “These were just boys when they died and they gave up two lives, the one they were living and the one they would have lived. When they died, they gave up the chance to be husbands, fathers, grandfathers and they gave up the chance to be revered old men.

They gave up everything for our Country and for us. We owe them a debt we can never repay, all we can do is REMEMBER them and what they did and why they had to be brave for us.” May we never forget the cost of America’s freedoms and the 1.5 million men and women who gave all, their lives, for our United States of America and for us.

Along with this memorial ceremony, our SDPC was awarded the Purple Star designation for providing support to military families and students of servicemen and women. This is an honor for School District of Pickens County. May God Bless America!