Girl Scout Cookies for U.S. Soldiers

Girl Scouts of West Central Florida partnered with Support Our Troops as part of our “Gift of Caring” Community Service Project. Cookies From Home was a terrific alternative for those who wanted to support Girl Scouts without actually taking delivery of the cookies themselves, and was ideal for individuals as well as companies/corporations.

Thank you for supporting Girl Scouts of West Central Florida and our troops!

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Thank You Notes

Mr. Williams,

Thank you for the Girl Scout cookies, Starbucks Coffee, and everything else you send to me and my fellow Airmen. There is nothing like finishing a long hard day of work to finally relax and enjoy a little taste of home, Girl Scout cookies and Starbucks Coffee definitely make that possible. Every time we receive a shipment of cookies everyone’s face lights up. There is a mad dash to them and they sure don’t last long. We can’t thank you enough for all you do, it all sure makes the time spent away from home go by faster and not be as difficult. If there is anything we can do to help support you let us know. Once again thank you very much!

//Signed//
CHRISTOPHER M. RUECKERT, TSgt, USAF
1st Sgt, 22 Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron 376th AEW

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To the wonderful and generous Girl Scouts of America,

THANK YOU all so much! What a very pleasant surprise! I love all the
things that were inside the care packages you sent.especailly the Girl Scout Cookies, baby beanies, and the hand-made hats from the Girl Scout Troop 640 (Ivory of Whitefield NH made mine). I plan to wear my hat somewhere.even if it’s only to bed. Please share my thanks with all of your hard working team mates. I certainly appreciate all the love and truly realize the sacrifice of personal time and free-will giving that is put into each box. It really means so much to have so many people from so far away appreciate what you do. I don’t want to be the one who doesn’t say THANK YOU! So once again..Thank You, I really appreciate it!

May God continue to shower each of you with all with His richest blessings!

Cherry Donna M MSgt 376 ECS/SCSP

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Mr. Bob Williams and Friends,

Thank you so much for the Girl Scout cookies we recently received from you. Receiving cookies and letters and wonderfully drawn pictures from everyone brings a smile and a sense of gratitude from all the deployed men and women on Manas Air Base. We have posted the letters and pictures on our bulletin board for all the Airmen to view and read.

Manas Air Base is located approximately 50 miles south of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. The base specializes in refueling and transporting cargo, supplies and troops throughout the Operation ENDURING FREEDOM Area of Responsibility. Our unit’s primary focus has been transforming the base from working out of tents to structured facilities.

The weather here is very seasonal. The summers will be very warm, with temperatures in the upper 80s to 90s. The evenings will always cool off, with a large chance of precipitation. Fall and spring will offer the full extent of all seasons, with highs in the 80s one day and snow the next. The winters can get cold, by cold, we mean real cold with snow on the ground most of the winter and temperatures going down to 17 degrees Fahrenheit below zero this winter.

The locals, also called Kyrgyz’s, are a very polite and generous people. Manas Air Base supports their economy by providing on-base jobs and security. The Kyrgyz’s speak Russian and most are familiar with the English language. Economically, Kyrgyzstan is a very poor country with the average salary of $40 a month.

Our Maintenance Group has adopted two small village schools just outside the base. The Airmen assisted this year with applying plastic to windows for winterizing and rebuilding worn out tables and chairs for the classrooms. We also made Easels for a new Art room and built new picnic benches for the dining facility in the other school. We also assisted with basic maintenance of the school itself. Many of the children are more than happy to visit with the deployed Airmen, share wonderful stories and play basketball and volleyball with us.

Thank you, again, for your continued support and tell everyone to “keep the cookies & letter’s coming”.

RANDEL E. WHITE, SMSgt, USAF, First Sergeant, 376 EMXG

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Happy Holidays from the 376th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan. I want to pass on my thanks from all my troops for the large shipment of Girl Scout cookies which were a tremendous hit. I am proud to report that your Air Force warriors quickly distributed and identified their favorite targets, attacked and ingested all the boxes. There is something special about a Girl Scout cookie that reminds everyone of home. I think everyone looks forward to their annual box of their favorite Girl Scout cookies. Being away from home this holiday season has made the reception of these gifts more meaningful and personal. They have brought out the holiday spirit in everyone. We owe a great deal of thanks to all of you that did this for us while we are away from our families and friends. We wish you all a happy holiday season and a safe, healthy New Year.

Thank you from all of us!!!!

ANIEL P. COPPINGER, CMSgt, USAF, Manas AB Kyrgyzstan