Former Army officer and retired state defense force commander addresses veterans issues during Veterans Month
By Chris Carter
Nearing the end of Veterans Month – the 249th Marine Corps Birthday on Nov. 10 and Veterans Day (The American iteration of Armistice Day) on Nov. 11 – we posed a series of questions to former U.S. Army officer and retired Maj. General Tom Mullikin, S.C. State Guard, whose distinguished military service both in-and-out of uniform reads in terms of its uniqueness like something out of “The Guns of Navarone;” not because of the particular combat action in that tale, but because of the characters involved and the expeditionary thread which runs throughout the entire story.
And Maj. Gen. Mullikin is indeed an extraordinary expedition leader. A world renowned 21st-century explorer, mountaineer, remote-wilderness expert; Mullikin has hiked and climbed mountain ranges stretching across every continent on earth: Having climbed several of the world’s seven great summits and logging SCUBA dives in every ocean on the planet.
As mentioned Mullikin served as an officer in the U.S. Army (JAG Corps) and as the two-star commanding general of the historic S.C. State Guard (SCSG). What else? He is an author, documentary film producer, energy-environmental attorney, university professor (teaching at his alma mater the University of South Carolina and elsewhere, and holding a PhD from Columbia International University), a S.C. Black Belt Hall of Fame inductee, the founding chair of the gubernatorially established S.C. Floodwater Commission, leader of the statewide SC7 Expedition from the mountains to the sea, and so much more. As a civilian attorney, Mullikin served as Special Assistant to Brig. Gen. Mark Martins, the former chief prosecutor of the Office of Military Commissions overseeing the trial of 9/11 terrorist mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four terrorist co-defendants. Mullikin served Martins within the specific purview of the Military Commissions.
A husband, father, grandfather, his youngest grandchild having been born within days of this interview; he is devoted to his native South Carolina specifically Camden. And when he is not traveling the globe or serving in any of the interestingly disparate capacities required by the Governor or any of his clients; Mullikin enjoys the local outdoors. He is an avid sportsman primarily fishing, diving (and teaching diving), horseback riding (and years of support to the Carolina Cup and Colonial Cup races) and journaling about the same with many of his outdoor experiences having been featured in SC WILD and S.C. Wildlife magazine among other publications.
Last week, Mullikin was unanimously selected by the board of directors of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) – subject to confirmation by the S.C. Senate – to serve as the next director of SCDNR.
We sat down with Mullikin in his historic Camden offices one week following Veterans Day for an 11-question Q&A.
CHRIS CARTER: It’s Veterans Month. Why, in your opinion, is it important that we honor both our living military veterans and those veterans no longer with us?
MAJ. GEN. TOM MULLIKIN: When you serve in any of the federal branches of the military, you know that you will serve where you are ordered to serve. This is a tremendous honor and a privilege but it is also a weighty responsibility that often means accepting that you will be placed in harm’s way. There’s no escaping this, and no soldier in the purest definition of that title would want to escape it. Anyone who has ever taken the oath embraces this responsibility. Those who have sacrificed much in service to our country need always to receive the support and benefits of a grateful nation. This reality needs to be in the forefront of our minds this month and always. We simply must never forget or overlook the significance of service and sacrifice. Not everybody serves. Even fewer truly sacrifice. And these are keys never to forget or take for granted.
CARTER: Speaking of service, sacrifice and post service benefits, what should be the primary focuses of the incoming administration (president elect) as regards our living military veterans.
MULLIKIN: Our veterans serve as a meaningful block of trained and ready Americans ready to serve in various economic sectors to help build our American economic engine. For those who have been hurt physically or mentally or simply need to be taken care of, they must receive the very best and most efficient health care possible. Support through the VA system and relevant extra-VA community care must be a priority going forward. President Kennedy so eloquently exhorted us: “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” Our military veterans at every level have done this. We as a nation now must reciprocally do and give every conceivable good thing we can for them.
CARTER: Let’s look at your military service. As has been described your service is said to be both unique and distinguished. But what is it about your military experience – both U.S. Army Reserve and command of the SCSG – that has been most rewarding to you?
MULLIKIN: The honor of serving the greatest nation on earth was the most rewarding. I never experienced a bad day in the United States Army. As an International Legal Officer with the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (U.S. Special Operations Command), I was proud to support several important missions in support of our national defense. For example, during Exercise Purple Dragon 98, I served as the information officer for the Rear Command during this exercise centered on the certification for deployment of a carrier battle group and an amphibious ready group, joint-force entry operations, and joint ground combat operations. Army participants included approximately 10,500 soldiers from the XVIII Airborne Corps and the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.
During this exercise and the work-up for the exercise there was emphasis on integration of various information assets to increase collaboration, coordination and communication of various capabilities to ensure that our warfighting effort was most effective. After 9/11 our focus was redirected from the ethnic cleansing in the Balkans to addressing the worst terrorist acts committed on US soil.
CARTER: Did your father’s service during WWII play a role in your desire to serve? I know you initially sought a USMC commission. You ultimately became a U.S. Army officer. Elaborate on that?
MULLIKIN: My father’s service during WWII played a huge role in my life and instilled within me a deep desire to serve in the military. He understood in a very tangible way the price of freedom as he served in a small long-range reconnaissance unit that spent a great deal of time behind enemy lines in France and Germany collecting intelligence. His engagements were direct and personal. He was a great man, a hero by any measure, and a huge influence on every aspect of my life. Early in my life he taught me about the outdoors and hunting and fishing which I have enjoyed over my life. These skills were beneficial in my military career such as land navigation, basic marksmanship, patrolling, and survival training. And it was the development of these military skills which enhanced my already existing boyhood love of the outdoors.
As far as my seeking a USMC commission? Yes, in 1980 I was enroute to Quantico, Virginia to attend the Platoon Leaders Class for the U.S. Marine Corps. I had passed the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) exam previously without notice of my feet. I was born with extreme bilateral club feet and my parents were told I would never walk. I spent much of my early childhood in a wheelchair after surgeries including the first surgery before I was a day old leaving me with casts up to my hips. During what should have been a second routine movement through MEPS enroute to Quantico, a young Navy doctor concerned with my feet medically disqualified me from service. This decision was heartbreaking as you might imagine, and it took me more than a decade to receive a medical waiver with the help of Senator Strom Thurmond and Congressman Floyd Spence.
Growing up and after my second surgery I have vivid memories at about six years old of my father standing me up on one side of the room and making me walk with casts up to my hips. He simply would not allow his son to accept being a crippled and he forced me to walk. He was a very tough guy who I loved then as I do now. It was because he was tough that I learned to overcome my physical handicap and that I went on to join the Army that he loved and have continued to overcome physical barriers.
I consider my handicap and the daily pain to be my greatest blessing. I have learned to overcome and deal with the pain associated with my feet, legs and now my back.
Dad would have been proud to know that when I finally was admitted into the U.S. Army, I was an Honor Graduate from the Army Master Fitness Trainer School before I graduated from the Officer Basic Course.
CARTER: You have since worked with and led special operators and senior military commanders on so many of your expeditions around the world. What did the experiences bring to those expeditions? What did they bring to you?
MULLIKIN: I learned that our special operators are the best in the world. They are determined, extremely analytical, and they operate on a physical level in a class by themselves. I also had the privilege of dive-training with the French Foreign Legion in Marseilles, France, and I was very impressed with their capabilities. But again, I place our Army special operators and Navy SEALs, as the best the world has ever known. And I’ve led or otherwise worked closely and directly with all.
CARTER: In addition to all the climbing, diving, and otherwise navigating and exploring some of the most remote regions around the world, you have jumped (parachuted) with paratroopers and military parachutists from several of the world’s Airborne forces including U.S. Army special operations forces. What might be your most memorable jump and why?
MULLIKIN: The most fun jump I ever had was not with a parachute but without a parachute in the Atlantic Ocean deploying out of helicopter in an effort to build an artificial reef along the coast of South Carolina. This mission included Recon Marine Sergeant Rudy Reyes, a veteran of both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Rudy also starred (portraying himself) in the HBO miniseries Generation Kill: Also my good friend Dan Lenz, a tier-one operator, several Navy SEALs, and Colonel of Marines Steve Vitali, one of my very close friends and fellow inductee in the S.C. Black Belt Hall of Fame.
The most memorable jump was likely a jump in Germany with international paratroopers. It was a low ceiling with high winds and while my landing was smooth my chute caught in the wind causing my head to hit the ground very hard – breaking my neck (rupturing C4, C5, and C6). Regrettably the paratrooper behind me was killed. I was awarded the coveted German Airborne wings for this jump.
CARTER: I know that your command of the S.C. State Guard is something that will forever define you: Largely because you were said to be “the great sea-change agent” of that historic military organization. Am I correct in saying that your command of SCSG will forever define you?
MULLIKIN: It was an honor to command the State Guard: A militia force that traces its lineage to the First Provincial Militia in 1670, and was commanded during the American Revolution by one of the greatest generals in the history of our nation, Brigadier General Francis Marion. The State Guard is today the oldest continuously operating military organization in the nation and one that gave rise to asymmetric warfare which is central today to our special operations forces. State Defense Forces, like our State Guard, are authorized through Title 32, Section 109 of the United States Code in order that states may maintain defense forces in addition to their National Guard to support Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA). DSCA is the process by which United States military assets and personnel can be used to assist in missions normally carried out by civil authorities. These missions have included: responses to natural and man-made disasters, law enforcement support, special events, and other domestic activities. I was proud to help lead the historic State Guard to a place of national prominence as one of the finest and best trained natural readiness commands in the nation. I am honored for having been a part of this elite unit.
CARTER: Your military service – both in and out of uniform – is both unique and distinguished, and you have received sterling accolades from everyone from Medal of Honor recipients to the late founding commander of SEAL TEAM SIX Dick Marcinko.
You also received multiple post-service military honors like the 2023 William Jasper Freedom Award by the S.C. Chamber of Commerce and the Order of St. Maurice awarded by the U.S. Army’s chief of Infantry and the National Infantry Association.
What does this kind of recognition mean to you on a personal level?
MULLIKIN: Yes, I am grateful and humbled beyond words, but I did not serve to receive decorations or recognition. The honor of serving my country and state is what has driven my service. That said, the recognition I received from men far greater and more experienced than I is validation enough. To think that these incredible heroes and warfighters recognized any modest contribution that I might have made is very rewarding.
CARTER: If you could name two (maybe three) fellow living military veterans who have inspired or greatly influenced you over the years who would they be and why?
MULLIKIN: First would be Maj. Gen Jim Livingston. A retired two-star Marine and Medal of Honor recipient, Gen. Livingston is a living example of the discipline, clarity and heroism that exemplifies the very best qualities of the U.S. Marine Corps and all American warfighters. His friendship, support and mentorship over the years has meant more to me than I could ever express. He is quite literally a legend in Marine Corps and other military circles, and his presence always brings out the very best in everyone around him.
Second would be U.S. Navy Lieutenant Mike Thornton, also a Medal of Honor recipient. Mike may well be the toughest, most-determined warfighter this country has ever produced. I am blessed by his friendship and the times we have been able to spend together. And don’t forget Mike literally coined the now-famous SEAL motto, “The only easy day was yesterday.”
Thirdly but never lastly is my good friend retired Master Sergeant Dan Lenz. Dan exemplifies excellence and professionalism in every way, embodying the warrior ethos of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. His mental toughness, innovative problem-solving, and selfless dedication to his teammates, community, and family have been a constant source of inspiration to me. To know Dan is to understand the true meaning of honor, commitment, and what it means to serve something greater than oneself.
CARTER: What is the greatest threat culturally (politically) to our military forces in 2024? I know this may not be an easy question, so perhaps focus on the unique cultural strengths of our military forces in 2024.
MULLIKIN: We need our military to focus on national security and military readiness. When the military is used as an incubator for social change it can create conflicting goals within the ranks. It is time we focus on national security and global peace through strength. The world is counting on the readiness of our nation and military.
CARTER: It’s interesting to note that in all of your statewide projects and worldwide endeavors, you always involve the military or have a military component to it. Everything from retired and former Navy SEALs and other military special operators being directly involved in SMART REEF installation efforts, also military veterans participating in SC7 and POWERPLANTSC, to the creation of a National Security Task Force under your S.C. Floodwater Commission. Is this deliberate? What is the value in involving military veterans in everything you do?
MULLIKIN: Involving veterans in the fight to protect our environment while enhancing our economy has been very deliberate. Our nation has spent hundreds of millions of dollars training our conventional forces and special operators. These veterans come with a ready work ethic, skills and dedication to mission. In each of these endeavors I have been honored to serve closely beside some of the greatest men and women of our generation. They are eager, committed, trained and passionate. I believe strongly in the Army values and for years have worn them around my neck as a reminder. These values include Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage. I cannot imagine greater values to embed in any organization or initiative. Our efforts have been successful at every level because of the tremendous contributions of our nation’s veterans.
– Chris Carter is a former semi-pro football player and U.S. Air Force veteran whose articles have appeared in Ops Lens, Human Events, Canada Free Press, Deutsche Welle, and NavySEALs.com among other publications.