Usually flights to Guantanamo Bay carry service members, civilians and family members, but on July 23, one flight carried more than 11,000 pounds of home: Girl Scout cookies.
Donated by the Mints for Military and the Girl Scouts of Gulf Coast Florida, it took several workers, pallets and forklifts to unload the 1,550 cases of cookies.
“When we have our cookie sales in January through March we set up a booth, as well as go door-to-door with distribution cards,” said Janette Tuttle, a Girl Scouts of Gulf Coast Florida spokeswoman. “We have a slot called Mints for the Military.”
This slot allows people to buy boxes of cookies for service member. The boxes are shipped out to recipients serving at a duty station chosen by the Girl Scouts – and for the second year, GTMO was that station.
Once the cookies landed in GTMO, they were offloaded and stored until Monday, July 26, to be distributed.
On Monday, the Girl Scouts of Guantanamo Bay presented Navy Rear Adm. Jeffrey Harbeson, commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo, and Navy Capt. Steven H. Blaisdell, commander of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, with two boxes of cookies to commence the distribution of the baked goods.
Representatives from each unit at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay made their way to W.T. Sampson Elementary School and picked up a predetermined number of boxes, enough for each service member in their unit to have three boxes.
“We all have a sweet tooth,” said Army Maj. Thomas L. Tuttle, the alternate contracting officer’s representative for the US Army Intelligence and Security Command and husband of Janette Tuttle. “These cookies are just like a piece of home for the service members here.”
“Bringing these cookies here really shows these service members that there are people back in the U.S. that really care,” Tuttle added.
“These cookies are a tremendous morale builder,” said Navy Rear Adm. Jeffrey Harbeson, commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo.
“You see these cookies and it just reminds you of home,” added Harbeson. “It’s tough being away for a year or longer and just to have this as a memory of home and bring back good memories – it is a great morale booster.”
Providing a little piece of home can be therapeutic, especially when assigned to a stressful task or mission. The Girl Scouts of Gulf Coast Florida have helped service members here more than they know.