How appropriate that rights after the Memorial Day holiday the Cayce-West Columbia
Rotary welcomed wounded Veteran Lieutenant Colonel James Broome III (retired) Air
Force and the Columbia Mobile Vet Center and Veterans to the Tuesday, June 2nd
meeting. Veterans and their family members were invited to tour the Mobile Vet Center
and take advantage of the many services offered by the Mobile Center which include
counseling for post-traumatic stress issues, sexual trauma, marriage and family
counseling, and information on VA benefits. The Mobile Vet Center was manned by Mr.
Anthony Hodges, a Readjustment Counseling Technician with the Columbia’s Veteran’s
Center. Veterans who attended the rotary meeting were treated to a free lunch.
Members of the local media and the AP press interviewed Mr. Hodges and Lt. Colonel
Broome during the event.
During the Cayce-West Columbia Rotary Meeting; Purple Heart Recipient Lieutenant
Colonel Broome spoke on his experience while assigned as a military advisor to the
Royal Saudi Air Force in Saudi Arabia when he was wounded but survived a terrorist
attack carried out by the terrorist group Al Qaeda in which 22 people was killed. Lt Col
James L. Broome III is a native of Winnsboro, SC. During his 23 year Air Force career
and while stationed at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix Arizona, Lt Col Broome
commanded one of the Air Force largest maintenance squadrons (nearly 1000 men and
women). Lt Col Broome’s military decorations include the Air Force Commendation
Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal,
Meritorious Service Medal and the Purple Heart. Lt Colonel Broome is the younger
brother of the current President of the Cayce-West Columbia Rotary, Ms. Chappelle
Broome.
