Folly Beach resident among CNN’s ‘Hero of the Year’ finalists

A Folly Beach resident has been named one of 10 finalists for CNN’s Hero of the Year award.

Andrew Manzi enlisted in the US Marine Corps Infantry in 2003 in reaction to the events of 9/11 and completed multiple tours of duty in Iraq. In his finalist profile, Manzi says that just two weeks before he was to return home, his unit engaged with the enemy. “To come home and have to turn that off,” he says in the video, “I felt like I had no control over myself. And I was afraid of myself.”

When he returned home, Manzi turned to surfing and co-founded Warrior Surf Foundation at Folly Beach in 2015 in order to deal with the transition from battlefield to home front. The WSF staff, comprised of combat veterans, surfers and a therapist, helps others deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, survivor’s guilt, anxiety with social situations and crowds, and helps to build bonds beyond the battlefield.

You can help Manzi win Hero of the Year by voting for him at www.cnn.com/specials/cnn-heroes or post a message at www.facebook.com/CNNHeroes now through Dec. 12. CNN’s Anderson Cooper and co-host Kelly Ripa will reveal the winner live during “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute,” 8 p.m. Dec. 17.

This story was originally published December 4, 2017 at 12:39 PM with the headline "Folly Beach resident among CNN’s ‘Hero of the Year’ finalists."