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Girl Scouts give thanks, cookies to deployed servicemembers

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Larry Carpenter
  • 92nd ARW Public Affairs Office
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  The Girl Scouts with the Inland Empire Council have finished their third year of collecting cookies for deployed troops through Operation Troop to Troop. More than 2,200 scouts canvassed more than 52,000 square miles collecting contributions for U.S. forces overseas.

The scouts surpassed last year's totals by collecting about 9,600 boxes of cookies, worth $38,400, to send to the desert, giving our deployed Airmen a taste of home.

"Personally, I think that with all the deployments, it's nice for the troops to have something from home to take with them," said Tech. Sgt. Carlos Ramossanchez, 92nd Mission Support Squadron family readiness coordinator. "Give the troops a little flavor of home."

The girl scouts with an already busy schedule took on the challenge to give back to their community and support the troops.

"The goal is to give back to the community and provides a way for the girl scouts to appreciate the men and women serving their country," said Kelly Thompson, Girl Scouts Inland Empire Council product sales manager.

"In addition, they are out soliciting support for our troops in the rest of the community," said Mrs. Thompson. "The scouts are really proud and feel good about being able to do this for the troops."

It's pretty amazing that these young ladies are already learning how to give to others, said Sergeant Ramossanchez, adding that the cookies are dispersed to a wide variety of service representatives.

"We don't keep all of the cookies for ourselves," said Sergeant Ramossanchez. "We share with the other services and guard components."

At Fairchild, the Girl Scout cookies are distributed to the troops as they process through the deployment line. They are given a few boxes to take with them, some for themselves and some to give to the person they are replacing at the deployed location. These cookies will make it around the globe to personnel supporting Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, Noble Eagle and other missions throughout the world.

Included with the boxes of cookies are notes and letters of support and encouragement from individuals who donated and also from the scouts themselves.

"On several of the boxes, there were notes (from the scouts) that stated 'Thanks for all you do. Hope these cookies make you smile,'" said Mrs. Thompson.