Today, Mississippi’s Rancor Raiders have been approved and achieved Garrison status within the 501st Legion. This is a great testament to the amount of work and effort the members of the Rancor Raiders have put forth in their efforts to spread the goodness that lies at the heart of the Empire.
Mississippi’s “chapter” of the 501st Legion began as an offshoot squad within the Midsouth Garrison back in July of 2007. At 7:30 in the morning on Saturday the 8th of March, 2008, the 501st Mississippi Outpost was born. A few months later, on the 28th of September, the outpost adopted the name: Rancor Raiders. The 7th day of this past February the Mississippi Outpost formally changed their name to the Rancor Raiders Outpost.
As our efforts to reach out and do more for charities throughout Mississippi expanded, the word of our organization spread through the Star Wars fan base in Mississippi. These fans saw what we were doing and discovered that they too could have fun displaying their love for George Lucas’ imagination while giving back to the many charities we have become associated with.
Here are some of the requirements for becoming a Garrison (found on the 501st Legion’s website):
The largest subdivisions of the Legion are the Garrisons, which ideally cover large distinctive regions that host unique geography, language, borders or other distinguishing characteristics. A Garrison requires at least twenty-five (25) members and is headed by a Garrison Commander (CO), who is elected every February by the members of the Garrison. The formation of a new Garrison may take place when an Outpost reaches sufficient membership or when a region within an existing Garrison finds pressing needs to break off and form a new Garrison.
As our membership grows, so does our opportunity to give back to the community. I understand that typically when writing articles such as this, the author should focus mainly on the facts, but I wanted to give some of my personal opinions as part of our celebration of our Garrison approval.
First, I’m fairly new to the ranks as a costumed Sandtrooper, so I don’t have the experience that many of our members have. I do, however, have one experience that is universal to all members of the Rancor Raiders. The experience I speak of is the first time you put on the suit at your first event, you walk out the door into the crowd and the look of amazement in the eyes of the first child you see… that’s a feeling that really reaches you deep down inside and lets you know that it is all worth it, no matter how much you have put into getting your costume built up enough to meet the strict requirements of the most definitive Star Wars costuming group on our wonderful planet.
The Rancor Raiders Garrison continues to expand and continues to reach out to our community to give what we can. Our members proudly drive hours from their homes to events across the state and with Garrisons in other states. We do this for the glimmer in the eyes of those whose lives are touched when they see Star Wars come to life. We do for those who need to see Star Wars come to life. We are Mississippi’s own Rancor Raider Garrison of Vader’s 501st legion!
Congratulations to all of the members of the Rancor Raiders Garrison!
… and a special thank you to our Garrison CO – Brian “Vex” Mcclure for all the hard work you have done and the dedication you have put forward to get us to where we are today.
MrVoodoo is the 501st Legion's TD-2654. TD indicates that he is a Sandtrooper while 2654 is his unique identification number within the legion.
He's a father of two who enjoys the little things that bring happiness to children. 
