Corporate law attorney in Ridgeland, SC.

RIDGELAND, S.C. —

A World War II veteran reached a milestone few will ever see, celebrating his 100th birthday surrounded by family, friends and fellow veterans at Operation Patriots FOB in Ridgeland, South Carolina.

Sam Hollis, drafted into the Army at 17, served in the European Theater in Normandy, France, as part of a Replacement and Supply Command, supporting frontline troops.

The celebration drew a crowd of well-wishers who lined the property with flags and cheers, including Hollis’ daughter, Kathryn Hollis Peters.

“The perseverance that he had, the dedication that he had, the love that he had for his country, for his family…he just didn’t know any other way than to make it happen,” Peters said.

Hollis, who has been married to his wife Mary for 69 years, said his greatest pride comes from his family. Asked for the secret to a long life, he said,

“Keep trucking along. Don’t give up. And live the best life you can, and with God’s help, you know that everybody gets through it in one way or the other.” said Hollis

JR Brown, founder and CEO of Operation Patriots FOB, a nonprofit supporting veterans, said Hollis represents a vanishing generation.

“There’s not a lot of World War II veterans left. He is representing all of those men and women that served in that war,” Brown said.

Operation Patriots FOB, which celebrates its fifth anniversary this month, has welcomed more than 40,000 visitors to its property and has reported zero suicides among the veterans it serves.

Hollis is scheduled to be the guest of honor at the nonprofit’s “Dinner for the Heroes” in Hilton Head on Nov. 8.

Tickets to support the event are available here.

RIDGELAND, SC (WTOC) - For over a decade, Hardeeville and Ridgeland were united as one. That changed last year when the two schools split. But this year will be the first time their football teams face off since that split. And as this week’s Game of the Week, WTOC will have all of the action from it on The End Zone Friday night.

Hardeeville enters the matchup on a four-game losing skid, but while the wins have been tough to find, the team feels they continue to improve week after week.

A new twist to the lineup this Friday features freshman quarterback Kyrin Jamison starting under center, a move his teammates and coaching staff have full confidence in, as they head into this crosstown rivalry in search of a much-needed win.

“A win Friday night would be huge, not simply because of the rivalry, but it’s also a region game, and that’s the most important thing that we are striving for, is to do well in the region because that’s a big implication on playoff seedings,” said Hardeeville head coach Arthur Gardner. “But of course, you can’t undermine the rivalry.”

“It’s the big talk around town this week,” said Hardeeville senior receiver and cornerback Camari Brown. “It’s been the big talk since the summer, so I feel like it will mean a lot to all of us. Every time (we’re) in school, we’re always saying we’re waiting for Ridgeland, and we’re ready for the game. Everybody is just ready for Friday.”

Over on the home sideline, Ridgeland is just as amped up for the first installment of this rivalry game, but they’re doing their best to keep a level head and approach it as any other region game.

The Jaguars got their first win of the season in dominant fashion last week (a 70-20 win over Burke) and will be hoping to ride that momentum into Friday’s matchup.

Head coach Reginald Alexander said he was happy to see his team’s run game come alive last week, but he still needs his guys to fine-tune other aspects of the game.

“(We need to be) a little bit more disciplined,” said Alexander. “We’re still making little mistakes -- missing a block here, pick up a penalty here. I’d really like to see that cleaned up. We’ve been telling them all week, we understand you have friends over there, we understand you guys hang out together, but at the end of the say, we do have a game to play, so keep it level, just follow the rules, and play the game.”

“There’s always work to be done,” said Ridgeland senior linebacker Michael Rodriguez. “Like Coach says, stay disciplined, stay level-headed, put the work in day in and day out, and we should be fine.”

Kickoff between Hardeeville and Ridgeland is set for 7:30 p.m. at Jaguar Stadium.