Upstate Warrior Solution (UWS) will unveil a portrait honoring Deputy Austin Aldridge of Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday, June 12th, commemorating his June 2022 death in the line of duty. The portrait will be the third law enforcement memorial hung at the Rupert House Veteran Center, a resource hub serving local military veterans and first responders.
Deputy Aldridge served the Spartanburg community with dedication and courage for three years before he was tragically killed responding to a domestic call on June 21, 2022. Just eight months later, his wife gave birth to their first child. “Nothing will ever replace Austin, and we will never stop missing him. But we are so proud of him and his legacy,” shares Austin’s mother Debbie Aldridge. “He had the sweetest, kindest heart and always took care of others before himself. He died in his uniform protecting his community.” Aldridge was a Travelers Rest native and a graduate of North Greenville University.
An initiative of UWS, the Rupert Huse Veteran Center is a one-stop shop of resources for veterans, police, fire fighters, EMS, and families. The portrait of Deputy Aldridge will be hung in the center’s Blessed Are the Peacemakers Gallery, joining Officer Allen Jacobs (Greenville Police Department) and Deputy Andrew Mazur (Greenville County Sheriff’s Office) who both died in the line of duty.
“The gallery is a reminder that freedom and safety are never free; they often come at the cost of a precious and honorable life,” says Russell Thompson, UWS’s First Responder Program Manager. “Our goal is to honor Austin’s legacy with the respect he so deeply deserves, ensuring our community never forgets the brave men and women willing to sacrifice everything for the greater good.”
