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95 Years Young, 2,000 Cards Strong: Woman’s Year-Round Tribute to Veterans

Elderly woman in red sweater reading a book, surrounded by storage boxes.
Jennie Debertolis makes 2000 cards every year in her home to send to Veterans at the Columbia VA Health Care System.

By D. Keith Johnson, Public Affairs Specialist

COLUMBIA, South Carolina – The daughter, mother and grandmother of a family of Veterans has been making and sending cards to Veterans at the Columbia VA Health Care System for years. The latest box just arrived in time for Valentine’s Day.

Jennie Debertolis, 95, from Little River, South Carolina, near Myrtle Beach, designs and makes cards from scratch for Veterans. Each card is unique. The cards all have an American flag on the inside flap and a personal signature. Many of the cards contain a red, white and blue design.

Debertolis has been making 2000 cards every year since 2019 for the Veterans at Dorn. She designs 500 for Valentines Day, 500 for 4th of July, 500 for Veterans Day and 500 for Christmas. They are sent out in a big box to the Dorn VA Medical Center in Columbia. “I love my Veterans,” she said.

The very first Veterans cards she made she planned to send to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, but they were not accepting cards at that time. She was looking for a Veteran facility and Dorn is what popped up first. She contacted Dorn and asked how many cards would be needed and gathered the materials necessary.

She started making the Veterans cards because she wanted to fill her days with a purpose that she felt would brighten someone's day.  She has also made cards for nursing homes and the Angel Project. She always makes sure she has enough cards made for the Veterans first. The Angel Project is a group that sends cards to people who have been identified as having a current special need, sickness, death in family, etc.

She loves her country and she loves Veterans. Her father was a veteran, her son served and her grandson is active duty. Debertolis believes our Veterans do not receive the gratitude or honor they deserve. This is her way of saying "I see you, I love you, I want to send you something personal and special.”

The latest box of Valentine’s Day cards was given out to Veterans at Dorn on Feb 11.