A house RESOLUTION

 

To recognize and honor First Sergeant Fred J. Grooms Sr. (Retired) for his lifetime of service to his community, his church, and his nation.

 

Whereas, born on March 19, 1941, in Hopkins, Fred Grooms was reared in a loving home with devoted parents and thirteen siblings. The son of a sharecropper and domestic worker, he learned discipline in his formative years as a teenager working on Burnside farm, and his life stands as a powerful testament to a journey navigated through faith, perseverance, and service; and

 

Whereas, after graduating from Hopkins High School in 1959, he enlisted in the United States Army, embarking on a career that spanned over two decades. A graduate of the Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Educational System (ANCOES), he rose to the rank of First Sergeant. His service included a combat tour in the Dominican Republic and two in Vietnam, two tours in Germany, and multiple duty stations across the nation; and

 

Whereas, in 1967, while deployed in South Vietnam in support of Operation Pershing, his unit was ambushed by a large North Vietnamese force and though under intense fire, he repeatedly exposed himself to danger, maneuvering his soldiers into defensive position. In a display of singular courage, he individually attacked an enemy automatic weapons station, sustaining gunshot wounds to the chest and leg, an act of bravery that rallied his company to defeat a numerically superior force; and

 

Whereas, First Sergeant Grooms served for two years with the 82nd Airborne Division, and his military decorations and honors included the Airborne Badge, Combat Infantryman Badge, Bronze Star Medal with "V" Device (1 Oak Leaf Cluster), Purple Heart (1 Oak Leaf Cluster), Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal (2 Oak Leaf Clusters), Good Conduct Medal (5th Award), National Defense Service Medal,   Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and Vietnam Service Medal; and

 

Whereas, dedicated to his community, First Sergeant Grooms was honored for helping to establish the Reeder Point Association Community Center in 1970, a vital neighborhood meeting place for the Lower Richland area. In 1971, he joined the Modern Free and Accepted Masons of the World Inc., a fraternal brotherhood dedicated to the values of service and character; and

 

Whereas, after retiring from the United States Army, he earned an associate degree in business management from Midlands Technical College in 1986 and began a successful second career within Richland County School District One as building supervisor at A. C. Moore Elementary School; and

 

Whereas, a lifelong, dedicated member of Sweet Home Baptist Church in Columbia, Fred Grooms has served as a Sunday school superintendent, vacation Bible school director, and Sunday school teacher. Ordained as a deacon in 1980 and serving for over forty-five years, he currently is chairman of the deacon board, and he has been a member of the men's choir, pastor's aid, and usher board. He also has been an active member of the Wateree Baptist Association Upper Division, where he has been a tireless champion for Sweet Home Baptist Church, and his faith is the cornerstone of his life, driving his mission to help others prosper in both their spiritual and personal lives; and

 

Whereas, Fred Grooms was married to his beloved Annie Ruth Evans for sixty years, spending more than ten years as her primary caregiver, providing loving support following a major change in her health before her death in 2024. They reared three fine children: Sonja Grooms-Smith, Major Fred J. Grooms Jr. (Ret.), and Alexander E. Grooms, and have been blessed with the love of five grandchildren; and

 

Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives is grateful for the leadership of its citizens, like Fred Grooms, who set a standard for all who know him of unwavering faith, steadfast dedication to excellence, and profound love. Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

 

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and honor First Sergeant Fred J. Grooms Sr. (Retired) for his lifetime of service to his community, his church, and his nation.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to First Sergeant Fred J. Grooms Sr.

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