Presented to the District 1 Board of Trustees 

 

LANDRUM—Dr. Trish Beason gave a presentation to the Board of Trustees this week on the Charles Judge Jr. Stand Down program and District 1 student involvement. Dr. Beason’s presentation expressed gratitude and recognition to students from Landrum High School, Chapman High School and Swofford Career Center.   

 

“A salute to service would not be complete without a definition,” Beason said. She said she felt that the dictionary definition did not adequately fit what the program and the volunteers were all about. Beason made her own definition for District 1.  

“I made my own definition for District 1, service is the selfless acts we do without hesitation or reservation for those that need it,” she said.  

 

The Charles A Judge Jr. Memorial Stand Down program is aimed at providing a day of free resources and services to homeless veterans, veterans at risk of becoming homeless, and any veteran in need. Judge Jr. was a Landrum native who served 21 years in the South Carolina Army National Guard that included a tour of duty in Iraq. Judge was the founder and coordinator of the Upstate Stand Down program.  

 

The name Stand Down is a reference to the military term that soldiers brought back from Vietnam. During the Vietnam War the term “Stand Down” referenced a safe retreat to a designated area that allowed infantry soldiers to restock on resources, sleep, eat, and shower in a safe environment.  Judge Jr. applied this term to the homeless veterans living stateside.  

 

On July 24, 2016 Charles Judge Jr. and Jonathan Michael Prins were tragically killed in a bar in Lexington County, SC, after defending a woman from domestic violence. The Upstate Stand Down program was renamed after Judge Jr. in his memory to pay tribute to the man that founded the program and gave back so much to the community.  

 

On March 15, students from Landrum, Chapman, and Swofford volunteered at the Upstate Stand Down event. Students from District 1 also helped gather supplies and donations for the program, these items included but are not limited to basic toiletries that homeless veterans often lack.   

 

For more information on the Charles A. Judge Jr. Memorial Stand Down and District 1 involvement visit https://charlesajudge.com.  

 

Additionally, students from District 1 that volunteered at the event are featured throughout a video that is available on the site or at the link, https://charlesajudge.com/charles-a-judge-jr. 

—By Samuel Robinson 

Sam.robinson@tryondailybulletin.com