When 29-year-old Richard “Richie” G. Cliff, Jr. awoke on the morning of Sept. 29, 2008, he had a lot to look forward to. Cliff was a U.S. Army captain serving his country in Afghanistan in a war on terrorism, he had earned the highly coveted Green Beret only the year before and he had already earned more than 10 medals in just six years of military service, which later included a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Just before his deployment, Cliff had become a father and was hoping to return to his hometown of Mount Pleasant to reunite with his wife Stacey and newborn son Richard. Unfortunately, Cliff never would get that opportunity.
Moments after beginning a reconnaissance mission that same day, Cliff’s jeep struck a makeshift bomb near Yakhchal and exploded. He and two other members of his Operation Enduring Freedom team were killed in action.
In the 16 years since then, which everyone in his family still remembers as if it just happened, Cliff has been honored in numerous ways for his heroism and sacrifice, including a framed memorial on the Hero Wall at Fort Moore in Columbus, Georgia.; a 7th Special Forces Group Rock Garden at Eglin Air Force Base near Destin, Florida; and a commemorative coin with his likeness that reads “Always Loved Never Forgotten.”
And now the memory Cliff left behind is at last coming home in a special way with the naming of a section in Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park in his honor. “Capt. Cliff’s family requested to our town council in October that his name be added to the memorial fountain,” said Mayor Will Haynie. “And that we name the surrounding dog park in his honor because of his love for dogs.”
A motion to accept the request was made by Mount Pleasant Town Council member and former Mount Pleasant Police Department Police Chief Carl Ritchie, and the vote carried unanimously. “It was an honor and privilege to bring this motion, because in many ways this form of recognition is long overdue,” said Ritchie, a 33-year veteran of civilian law enforcement who was recently elected sheriff of Charleston County. “Capt. Cliff is one of those who was taken away far too soon. And as the only veteran serving on council, the least we can do is to have something in place for the rest of us to remember that people like Capt. Cliff makes possible all the freedoms we too often take for granted.”
The purpose and size of the park itself helped make the honor possible. In addition to being a place to gather and enjoy time outdoors, Memorial Waterfront Park, located on 14 acres under the grand entryway to the town at the base of the Ravenel Bridge, offers an abundance of activities, such as a nautical-themed playground, basketball and pickleball courts, beautiful areas for picnics and views of Charleston Harbor and a 1,250-foot-long pier.
But it is also intended to serve what its name implies: as a memorial to veterans such as Cliff who were killed in action; fallen police officers in the line of duty, such as Vaughn Kee; and a host of first responders, who keep many people alive in emergency situations ranging from fire, medical and search and rescue.
“The park is designed to be an ever-evolving memorial, and the honor to Capt. Cliff is part of the final phase of its original completion,” Haynie said. “There are currently about a couple of dozen names of Mount Pleasant military that go all the way back to the Revolutionary War.”
While the names themselves might not mean much to any given observer, Haynie said it is his hope that people who see the names and take time to read the placards will at least get a sense of what Capt. Cliff and others so honored continue to represent.
“Other than the fact that Capt. Cliff lost his life for our country, there could be no more fitting way to finish this chapter of the park’s completion,” Haynie said. “This phase of the park is projected to open sometime after the new year. And I personally can’t think of a better and more appropriate way to tie in the park to the memorial by honoring one of our own.”
By L. C. Leach III
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