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Honor Guard ready
Sheriff thankful for help with honor guard
5.13.07 honor guard
The new honor guard of the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, from left to right: Sgt. Bryan Girardeau, Cpl. Kenny McDonald, Sgt. 1st Class Shane Arnott, Sgt. Derrick Seckinger and Cpl. James Dingeldein. - photo by Photo by Ralna Pearson

The community came together to support Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie’s efforts to establish an honor guard.

The department raised $9,234 from donations.

Each military-grade uniform cost approximately $1,000, according to Sgt. Derrick Seckinger. This included the boots, pants, jacket and accessories.

Five officers have volunteered so far to be members of the honor guard. McDuffie is aiming for eight officers, which is the customary number.

This week, the officers will attend the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. to pay tribute to the late Deputy Dennis Wright. He was killed in December 2006 in a car accident while on duty.

McDuffie was surprised and yet not surprised by the amount raised.

“This community has always been supportive of the sheriff’s office,” he said. “I’m extremely proud of living in Effingham County due to how people treat and look after us.”