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A special delivery for soldiers overseas on Memorial Day
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Ranie Harper takes the cards to the Rincon post office. - photo by Photo by Paul Floeckher

Ranie Harper of Rincon made a very special delivery for Memorial Day. She sent 260 homemade cards to the 1st Battalion, 214th Field Artillery, which is in the midst of a year-long deployment to Afghanistan.

Her son, Zachary Pitts, is a member of the National Guard unit. It is the first deployment for Pitts, a 2007 Effingham County High School graduate.


Harper made a request on Facebook for people in the community to help her send cards to her son’s unit for Memorial Day, and Blandford Elementary School and Effingham Christian School got on board. Students ranging in age from kindergarten to eighth grade made cards — enough for every member of the unit to receive one.


Harper's next plan for what she calls "Project Patriot" is to send cards for the Fourth of July. Anyone interested in participating can call her at 663-2484.


A local business made a donation to cover the cost of sending the cards to Afghanistan. Local businesses are welcome to help with future projects, Harper said.