In early January, Troop 446  handed out cookies at the USO Lounge at BWI to soldiers preparing to be deployed. They shared some of their photos and experiences with us .

Here’s the day in their own words:

“We had a blast! We gave out cookies, and had our pictures taken with the soldiers. We even got hugs too!” – Lauren

“I had a lot of fun seeing the troops going out made me think how well our country is protected. We were giving hugs, taking pictures, and having conversations…the most awesome day ever!” – Megan H.

“We met lots of soldiers, headed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait; many have girls who are in Girl Scouts. One who used to help with scouts. They loved the hugs and photo ops with the girls. One soldier told the girls they were his hero’s! Also that it made his day to know someone cared!” – Ms. Cathy, Troop Cookie Manager

“It was fun! I got to take pictures and hug the soldiers. It made me feel loved.” – Abbi

“It was a very beautiful night. I got the chance to meet many people serving our country. They would tell us thank you, which meant a lot! I think the fact that we were there meant more to them than the cookies.” – Katelyn

“This experience meant a lot to us. We thanked the men and women serving our country. We handed out cookies to them for free and they appreciated it. It felt great to be able to do this.” –Lacey and Jennifer

“This was a super night, and I loved seeing the smiles on the soldier’s faces. I wish we could do it again sometime.” – Megan M.

“Being able to hand out cookies through Operation US Mint, was a very humbling experience! It really makes you think about the men and women who sacrifice everything to protect our country. It was nice to be able to give back in some way.  I also enjoyed seeing the girls from my troop bring a smile to the soldier’s faces. The pictures, hugs, and conversations are memories I hope everyone will cherish! Touching lives and helping others is what scouting is all about.

I had the pleasure of being able to talk with a woman who was moving her family to live on base with her husband (a soldier) overseas. She has two small children, carts of luggage, and even the family dog to trek across to another country. Still she stopped for a moment to say thank you and get a box of cookies from the girls. It’s really touching to see what some are willing to do in the name of their country!

The girls made posters and thank you cards to go along with the boxes of cookies. It was nice to see such small tokens of appreciation mean so much. On our way out we passed one last soldier on his way to board the plane. He stopped to hug the girls, and say thank you for being there to see him off. It was the least we could do! I hope our troop gets another opportunity like this again!” – Ms. Tammy, Troop Advisor

Does your Troop have a Gift of Caring? Have you worked with Operation U.S. Mint? Share your story with us!