OPFOB Concert for Heroes: Helping stop soldier suicide

RIDGELAND, SC (WSAV) – Operation Patriots FOB (OPFOB), exists on a 268-acre recreational property in Ridgeland, SC where members host veterans, active duty, first responders and their families.
The mission is to create and foster positive experiences for these local heroes by connecting through outdoor and recreational activities, creating an alliance through peer engagement in a comfortable and relaxed environment. These various forms of recreation, along with a newfound camaraderie, have been proven ways of helping our veterans deal with PTSD and other demons they may be facing from the scars of battle.
OPFOB Founder JR Brown talked to WSAV's Andrew Davis on First News at 4 about OPFOB's mission and how you can help.
OPFOB is hosting a benefit concert in support of this mission on April 26 at OPFOB. The headliner will be country music star Clay Walker along with special guests Chris Cagle, and local legend Chris Jones.
OPFOB has TWO exclusive opportunities to meet and spend time with an American legend — Army veteran, six-time UFC Champion, and actor Randy Couture.
All proceeds help fund our mission of helping veterans and first responders.
The concert will be held on 328 Lakeview Drive in Ridgeland, S.C. General admission is $50. The show will last from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Click here to learn more.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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USA Today

an hour ago

• USA Today

Bryan Cranston champions Ford's new philanthropy push at revived Detroit landmark

It's midmorning June 17 and actor Bryan Cranston is in a private room deep inside Michigan Central Station seated in an overstuffed lounge chair. He leans back, smiling and welcoming the respite from the grueling 82-degree heat he'd just endured for more than an hour outside, speaking in front of hundreds of Ford Motor Co. employees, dealers and some media. Cranston, 69, isn't complaining. Heck, he isn't even sweating. The Oscar-nominated star volunteered to be in Detroit to emcee the event to kick off Ford's new philanthropy program: Ford Building Together. The program aims to better unite Ford's nationwide dealership network and employees so that they can provide more efficient relief during disasters. Ford is partnering with four charities in the new program. 'I'm here to build that community, that's what it's all about," Cranston told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, of why he supports Ford's philanthropy work. "I'm tired of the vitriol and the rancor and the finger-pointing. We're better than that. We have a variety of different opinions on religion and politics and life. But let's find the commonality. This is one of those events that finds that commonality. This is a celebration of the American spirit.' The American spirit is fitting for Ford as the company touts itself as the most American of all the automakers, often citing the statistic that 80% of the vehicles it sells in the United States, it also assembles here. That is a timely message amid President Donald Trump's trade war, which seeks to encourage more U.S.-based manufacturing. A quiet philanthropist Cranston is most famous for playing the dad in the early 2000s sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle" and more recently as playing Walter White, a chemistry teacher turned drug dealer, in the hit 2008-13 drama "Breaking Bad." In 2016, he was nominated for Best Actor for the movie "Trumbo." Despite his movie star credentials, Cranston is a dedicated philanthropist, though he said this is the first time he has talked so openly about it. "I've been involved in philanthropy for quite a while. My wife and I have a fund set up for a variety of charities," Cranston said. "It was Jane Kaczmarek, who played my wife in 'Malcom in the Middle,' who said, 'Paying back, donating time, energy and money to charities is reciprocal to our good fortune and it kind of comes with the territory.' " He has used social media to promote his involvement with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children over the years. And, even with his business endeavors, Cranston makes an effort to give back. "I'm so blessed; I'm so lucky. Why not share it?" Cranston said. "I don't know how good I'd be as a mogul, wanting to make more and more. I want to make and share, make and share. That's what we discovered when Aaron Paul (costar in 'Breaking Bad') and I started our mezcal company Dos Hombres — we have to give back to the people of Mexico. It's the right thing to do." 'You want me to show up?' Cranston's ties to Ford started years ago. The relationship has taken him from rescue work with the automaker's philanthropy arm after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, to more recently his visit to Dearborn, Michigan Truck Plant to donning a hard hat to trapse through the very building he sat in on June 17: Michigan Central Station, well before it was renovated. Cranston's famous voice — a deep, gutteral baritone — won him a contract as the voice of Ford commercials starting in October 2018 with the launch of the "Built Ford Proud" campaign, according to Ad Age. He has also voiced Ford Philanthropy promotional videos. Before that, he said he has personally bought several F-150 crew cab pickups over the years, donating them to charities to use after hurricanes to rescue people in flooded areas. As for his personal car, Cranston has been driving an all-electric Mustang Mach-E for the past few years. So when Ford told him about this new philanthropy program that partners with the American Red Cross (Cranston said he donates blood regularly), Habitat for Humanity, Feeding America and Team Rubicon, he didn't hesitate to help. "Ford said, 'Do you wanna …?' I said, 'You want me to show up?' They said, 'Will you? Really?' I said, 'Yeah, yeah.' So here I am," Cranston said. Cranston's visits to Michigan To get to Detroit on June 17, Cranston took a day and a half off from the set of his latest project, a dark comedy movie being filmed in Champaign, Illinois, called "Chili Finger." It also stars Judy Greer, Sean Astin and John Goodman. The timing is interesting, too. Cranston said it was nearly four years ago to the date when he entered "this building wearing a hard hat and a vest, stepping over puddles and fallen cables and graffiti and broken marble … it was a mess." That was in 2021 or so and Cranston said he'd come to Michigan to do research for the 2022 movie "Jerry and Marge Go Large" costarring Annette Bening based on the true story of Jerry and Marge Selbee, of Evart, Michigan, who figured out how to win the lottery. Cranston took a detour from his research to come to Detroit during that visit where he met up with friends. While in the city, he took a tour of Dearborn Truck Plant to see the F-150 pickup being made and then he made his way to Michigan Central Station. "I came here to see what Ford was doing to this and why," Cranston said. "I thought, 'Oh my gosh this is a huge undertaking.' I knew it was Bill Ford's baby and people thought he was a little crazy to do this and look at it now. It's gorgeous.' Executive Chair Bill Ford was on FOX News Channel's "FOX & Friends" the morning of June 17 talking to co-host Steve Doocy about the long-standing desire to repair the train station. "It had become a mecca for drug dealers and everything else. I drove by it almost every day and often, what happened was, there were stories, national stories about the decay of Detroit ... and this was often the visual," Ford said of the train station. Ford spent close to $1 billion to renovate the old train depot, which now holds shops, offices and soon, a luxury hotel. Since it opened to the public in June 2024, Ford said it has had about 300,000 visitors. On June 2, NoMad Hotels, an upscale boutique brand affiliated with Hilton and featuring a bourgeois-bohemian flair, said it plans to open an approximately 180-room hotel on the top floors of Michigan Central Station in the first half of 2027. Cranston's take on Detroit sports Cranston glances around at the marble walls. The sunlight pierces through the skylights illuminating the once downtrodden train depot. He is aware the building reflects the Motor City, a place he calls a "great town" that he visits often. "I'm really, really happy to see it come back," Cranston said. "There were times when I was here, where it was almost like a ghost town and to see that urban renewal is really rewarding.' Cranston has a couple of hours before he has to catch a flight back to Champaign, Illinois, and return to his real job. He doesn't mind going back to work, saying he is grateful that he gets to do what he loves for a living and it has given him a platform to help others. There is one regret though, being a Tigers fan, Cranston wishes he could have caught a game while here. "But the last time I was here, it was about a year and a half ago, and I'm from Los Angeles originally so I'm a Rams fan," Cranston said. "We came to play the Lions and the Lions beat us. They played a better game and they won. They've got a great team and it was a lot of fun." Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@ Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.

Business Insider

2 hours ago

• Business Insider

The status symbol items CMOs sported at this year's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity

Happy Saturday! A 51-year-old woman says she's in the best shape of her life after ditching cardio and getting into strength training. Here's how she did it. On the agenda: A dietitian explains why eating dessert can help you lose more weight and keep it off. A heated debate about location sharing is dividing generations. Creatine is a longevity wonder supplement — and it's not just for gym bros. The new American dream? Buying and renting out vacation homes in Italy. But first: Bonjour de Cannes! This week's dispatch The status symbols CMOs are into More than 15,000 marketing leaders and creatives descended on the French Riviera for this year's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France. And while the thousands of chief marketing officers traded industry secrets and attended panels and networking events, I spent my time on the lookout for the status symbols they were wearing. You know … the important reporting we all want to know about. Right? Right. After spending six days with this group, I noticed two beloved items over and over again. One wasn't a shocker, while the other was a nice surprise. The first status symbol I noticed as soon as I touched down at the airport in Nice, before trekking the 45 minutes to Cannes, was that most of the marketers had Away luggage. It's not a new hot item, but it's easy to see why the brand is beloved by these busy professionals. They have a sleek, minimalist design. They're quite light, around 7.5 pounds, making it easy to head to Cannes or any other locale, and they have wheels that turn 360 degrees. Another travel item I saw time and again throughout my week in sunny Cannes was Celine sunglasses. The French designer's accessory is the ultimate "if you know, you know" product, as they're not deemed trendy. Instead, because of their quality — premium acetate and gold hardware — the sunnies were a favorite among marketers. During my panel at The FQ Lounge, Jennifer Wilson, the CMO of Lowe's, had also noticed the trend and said she had to pick up a pair, which range in price from $300 to more than $500, before she left France. Just desserts You don't have to cut out sweet treats to eat healthier. Having dessert or other favorite foods can actually help dieters reach weight-loss goals, Tara Schmidt, lead dietitian for the Mayo Clinic diet, told BI. The key is moderation. "Allowing for a balanced way of including your favorite foods, a planned indulgence, really helps people feel less deprived," Schmidt said. See her tips for indulging healthier. Do you want to share your location with me? You're likely to get a different answer depending on who you ask. Sharing your location with friends and family has become a heated debate among generations. BI spoke to people from all age groups to find out why. Gen Z is generally chill about it, with some citing convenience as a reason. Gen X is indifferent, seeing the pros and cons. Millennials, on the other hand, are more divided, with some saying they outright hated it or felt no need for it. To share or not to share. The creatine craze is more than just hype Researchers typically have a healthy mistrust of supplements, but creatine is the rare exception. Evidence is piling up about its positive effects on your body, brain, and longevity. Gym bros love creatine because it helps build muscle, but it's not just for bulking up. Early research suggests it can support hormonal health for both women and men. New research suggests creatine can help with brain performance, too. Plus, it's relatively inexpensive. Il (nuovo) sogno americano The new American dream includes buying and managing property outside your main residence. Italy, which boasts Mediterranean charm, a slower pace of life, and plenty of inexpensive real estate, is a prime target for American buyers. Plus, homeowners can personally enjoy their investments when they're not renting them out. It's a way of combining passive income with a familiar place to stay on vacation. Three Americans shared what it's like. What we're watching this weekend "A Minecraft Movie": One of the biggest movies of the year is now on Max. Travel to the world of Minecraft with Jack Black and Jason Momoa. "Love Me": Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun prove love is possible even after humanity's extinction in this unique love story, now available on Amazon Prime. "The Gilded Age": Season 3 of the acclaimed show set in 1880s New York City, starring Carrie Coon and Cynthia Nixon, returns on Max. What to shop Work out in style: Whether you're spending weekends on the pickleball court or out running errands, these super cute exercise dresses will keep you comfy and supported. Made-to-measure suits: Our men's style editor knows a thing or two about looking sharp. He tested Suitsupply's custom, made-to-measure suits and got the best fit he's ever experienced. Here's what it's like to order from them, and what to keep in mind. Cloud Couch dupe: We tested a modular sofa from Sundays that's just like Restoration Hardware's famous Cloud Couch, but way less expensive. If you're looking for a comfy couch to sink into, we can't recommend this one enough. More of this week's top reads: I was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at 31 despite being fit and healthy. Doctors brushed off my concerns as pregnancy symptoms. Jason Isaacs reveals the " very low price" the "White Lotus" cast was paid per episode. I spent every summer in Greece as a kid. Here are seven places you should visit that aren't Mykonos or Athens. We moved to rural Oregon to save money. It's been great, but small-town life has its downsides. Ten items from your summer wardrobe to get rid of, according to stylists and designers. I spent a night in a brand-new luxury hotel in Seattle. I wasn't familiar with the chain, but now I'll book it worldwide. McDonald's was ranked the biggest restaurant chain in the US. Here are the other chains that topped the list.

4 hours ago

Cyprus' lyrical duelists spit fierce rhymes as they battle it out to the licks of a fiddle

LARNACA, Cyprus -- Lyrical duelists in Cyprus spit rhymes in head-to-head contests, keeping alive a tradition known as 'tsiattista' that emerged centuries before the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Drake. Konstantinos Christou Grilias and Adamos Peratikos are among a new group of poets in this Mediterranean country who battle it out live on stage to the rhythms of the lute and fiddle. The battles are fierce, but you won't find any Kendrick-Drake style beef. Tsiattista made UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011. The similarities with American hip-hop diss songs and battle rap are many: two duelists using their wits and turns of phrase to boast how superior they are, giving opponents a schooling in an onslaught of lyrical beatdowns. It's complete with assertive gestures and the hands-behind-the-back patience of the poet waiting to pounce. 'Even if you'd been a paramedic, I'd send you to hospital with a heart attack,' Peratikos told one adversary — a line with more snap in the Cypriot Greek dialect, whose syntax is akin to ancient Greek. Grilias dissed his opponent as a lightweight and a laughingstock. The audience of hundreds along a seaside promenade murmured in approval. Tsiattista battles which have been around since at least the end of the 19th century, are undergoing a bit of a revival, thanks to performers like Grilias and Peratikos. 'We urge other kids who like it to come along to safeguard this institution,' said Peratikos, 41. 'The goal isn't about awards, the goal is to keep tradition alive.' The 44-year-old Grilias said he's never really delved into the world of Kendrick Lamar or Jay-Z. 'Honestly, I've never listened to rappers. They told me that they battle in their own language, in their own way,' Grilias said as he prepared for a tsiattista duel at the peak of a festival for the Orthodox Christian Pentecost. 'Rappers don't know where Cyprus is," he added. The new group of performers, known as tsiattistaes, started to replace the older generation about 15 years ago at the premier competition in Larnaca during the annual Pentecost festival known as Kataklysmos, said ethnomusicologist Nicoletta Demetriou, who is director of the island nation's Music Archive. The new generation includes women, though few participate because of lingering social exclusion, Demetriou said. The current tsiattista format of a two-verse rhyme with a total of 15 syllables was developed in the late 18th to early 19th century, evolving from the introduction of the rhyming verse to the Greek-speaking world in the 15th and 16th centuries, Demetriou said. It draws on a tradition of poets matching wits from the times of Pericles in ancient Greece. The structure and musical accompaniment are simple, so that the rhymes are clear and understandable for both the audience and the adversary. Contests can address a range of themes, but the underlying premise is to determine who's the best at the diss. 'It's usually a fight, meaning 'I'd clobber you, kill you, bury you,' Grilias said. 'But I believe the public likes more a bit of humor, too.' For contestants, it's about who shows up ready, can stay cool and make the fewest mistakes in front of a crowd. 'Truth is, you're stressed, you're under pressure," Grilias said, and 'the person who can best handle this has the advantage.' One useful strategy is guessing how to get into your opponent's way of thinking, predicting possible responses to your lines, Peratikos said. He dismissed AI technology as incapable of coming up with effective rhymes in the Cypriot Greek dialect. 'There are words that we've heard but we don't even know, so there's no way artificial intelligence does,' Peratikos said. At the end of a long night of battling, Grilias and Peratikos finished fourth and fifth, respectively. A judging panel composed of men and women determined the winners. The two contestants took their places in stride. 'We're all friends, that's what's important,' Grilias said.