![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gpstrianglenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Top-Game-Warden-Officer-John-Sanders-Full_2026_630x350.jpg?w=1440\")
<\/p>\n– Pictured (from left) SCDNR Director Tom Mullikin, PhD; and SCDNR Officer John Sanders, recipient of the J.P. Strom Award for academic excellence.<\/p>\n
Mullikin urges graduates of the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy: “Watch your six; watch your partner”<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.<\/i><\/p>\n
Dr. Tom Mullikin, director of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), was afforded the somewhat-rare honor of addressing basic law enforcement (LE) graduates of the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy and their families, Friday, May 8.<\/p>\n
In addition to his myriad responsibilities as director, Mullikin is the ranking SCDNR law enforcement officer (game warden), overseeing well over 1,100 employees including 350-plus duly sworn LE officers covering 46 counties and 187 miles of Palmetto State coastline. SCDNR’s law enforcement arm also trains, equips, and fields special operations units in support of its primary LE mission and in support of extra-agency operations across South Carolina from the mountains in the Upstate through the Midlands and into the coastal regions and the Lowcountry.<\/p>\n
Portions of Dr. Mullikin’s address to graduates follow:<\/b><\/p>\n
“You’ve endured long hours, physical exhaustion, mental strain, and the quiet moments of doubt that come to anyone who dares to pursue something difficult. You trained when others rested. You studied when others slept. You pushed through when it would have been easier to quit. And now, you stand here ready. …<\/p>\n
“Graduation is not the finish line. It is the starting point. …<\/p>\n
“Wearing the badge is not about what you are allowed to do. It is about what you choose to do. That choice is anchored in something sacred; the oath. Soon, or perhaps already, you have raised your right hand and sworn that oath. It may have taken only a minute to speak, but it will take a lifetime to honor. The oath is not just words. It is a promise. …<\/p>\n
“A promise to uphold the Constitution not when it is easy, but when it is difficult. Not when it is popular, but when it is tested. Not when it benefits you, but when it requires sacrifice. It is a promise to serve all people equally. To be fair when emotions run high. To be calm when others are not. To be steady when situations become uncertain. And perhaps most importantly, it is a promise to do what is right even when no one is watching. …<\/p>\n
“You will encounter conflict and you must be the calm within it. You will be tested not just physically, but morally. And when that happens, remember this: fairness is not weakness. Impartiality is not hesitation. It is strength of the highest order. …<\/p>\n
“To be consistent, principled, and fair is the foundation of trust. And trust is the currency of your profession. Without it, the badge loses its meaning. With it, the badge becomes something powerful and not because of force, but because of faith. Faith from the community that you will protect them. Serve them. Respect them. …<\/p>\n
“Just as important as the oath and the badge is the family you are entering. Law enforcement is more than a profession. It is a brotherhood and sisterhood. …<\/p>\n
“From this day forward, you are not alone. You are part of something larger than yourself. You are connected to those beside you, those who came before you, and those who will follow you. …<\/p>\n
“The person standing next to you today, the one you trained with, struggled with, laughed with; that person may one day be the one who saves your life. And you may save theirs. So, stay connected. Stay in touch. Because the bonds you formed here are not temporary. They are essential. …<\/p>\n
“In the days ahead, when the job becomes heavy and it will, you will need people who understand what you carry. No one understands a police officer quite like another police officer. Lean on each other. Check on each other. Stand beside each other. …<\/p>\n
“Never forget the simplest but most important rule you will hear in this profession: Watch your six. Watch your partner. Because at the end of every shift, the goal is simple. We all go home. …<\/p>\n
“Never underestimate the impact of simple things: respect, dignity, listening. Those are not small things. They are everything. There will be days when the job is hard. Days when the weight feels heavy. Days when you question whether it is worth it. In those moments, remember why you started. Remember the oath. Remember the badge. Remember the people who believe in you. …”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
– Mullikin, a world-renowned global expedition leader, former U.S. Army officer and retired commanding general of the S.C. State Guard, is a certified Class I law enforcement officer. He has served as director of SCDNR since Feb. 2025.<\/i><\/p>\n
– Pictured (from left) SCDNR Director Tom Mullikin, PhD; and SCDNR Officer John Sanders, recipient of the J.P. Strom Award for academic excellence.<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
– Pictured (from left) SCDNR Director Tom Mullikin, PhD; and SCDNR Officer John Sanders, recipient of the J.P. Strom Award for academic excellence. Mullikin urges graduates of the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy: “Watch your six; watch your partner” By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Dr. Tom Mullikin, director of the S.C.Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[44],"tags":[494,361],"class_list":["entry","author-john-griggs","post-8484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-public-safety","tag-honors-and-awards","tag-scdnr"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gpstrianglenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Top-Game-Warden-Officer-John-Sanders_2026_630x350.jpg?fit=630%2C350","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8484\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}