By Joanna Putman
Police1
RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — A South Carolina deputy has made it his mission to serve the war-torn community he escaped as a child, WPDE reported.
“The best way I can give is to, you know, look back and offer some kind of assistance,” said Master Deputy Thomas Browne, who fled from Liberia in 1989 at the age of six. “Coming over here wasn’t just, you know, me coming on my own—it was an act of God and other people who opened the doors for me.”
Browne fled Liberia during its brutal civil war and credits the U.S. and other countries for the aid they provided, according to the report.
“When our Civil War started, it was pretty much very brutal,” Browne told WPDE. “The best way I could give back was to offer my services to the United States, as a way of saying ‘thank you’ for what they did for me.”
Browne has pursued a career in criminal justice, served in the military and now works as a deputy. But his commitment to giving back extends beyond U.S. borders, according to the report. With donations from the local community, Browne has been sending supplies back to his village in Liberia.
Browne is currently organizing another shipment to Liberia before the end of the year and encourages others to help those in need, according to the report.
“If you’re in a position as a person to open doors for another person, that’s the best thing to do,” he said. “Be that gateway to someone else’s hope and future.”
Those interested in contributing to Browne’s collection efforts can contact him directly at tbrowne@rcsd.net.