By Maggie Downs
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Jessica Garza, left, and Richelle Walls pack girl scout cookies for shipment to U. S. troops in Kuwait at St. Philip School, Melbourne. In the background is Patricia Ashcraft of Park Hills, whose husband Charles is an Army sergeant deployed in Kuwait. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

SILVER GROVE, Ky. - Soldiers in Kuwait will be getting a taste of home in the form of 156 boxes of Girl Scout cookies, thanks to Silver Grove/St. Philip School Girl Scout Troop 358.

The girls' efforts were recognized Friday morning live on NBC's Today when 10 of the Scouts were interviewed by Ann Curry via satellite.

The service project began when the troop wanted to send a box of cookies to the husband of a troop leader's friend - Sgt. Charles Wayne Ashcraft of Latonia, who is serving with the Army in Kuwait.

That idea snowballed into something much bigger. Thirteen cases bigger, to be exact.

"As we were talking about it, the girls really started thinking about the freedoms we have," said troop leader Melissa Garza of Silver Grove. "These guys can't go to the corner store to buy a box of Girl Scout cookies. They don't have that luxury."

So the 21 girls, ages 6 to 10, set up a booth at the Wal-Mart in Alexandria and allowed the public to get in on the cookie action.

"They were asking people to adopt a soldier instead of asking, `Would like to buy a box of Girl Scout cookies?' " Garza said.

Anyone who adopted a soldier selected a box of cookies to send and had the opportunity to send along a note. Those messages were often short, but heartfelt:

"Good luck." "Thank you." "We're praying for you."

"We never dreamt it would be this big," said co-leader Cheryl Brossart of Pendleton County. "I can't believe how many people got cookies for these boys, when they didn't buy any for themselves."

Now, 156 boxes later, the girls have sent enough cookies for everyone in Ashcraft's Charlie Company 3/7 to have two or three boxes each. But in addition to the taste of Thin Mints, the soldiers will be getting a taste of something else - home.

"Girl Scout cookies are such a feeling of home," said Laura Clarke, director of membership and public relations for the Girl Scout Council of Licking Valley. "It's a tradition."

Many other organizations are making similar efforts, including Hugs to Kuwait, a grass-roots organization to support overseas troops that is helping to coordinate such efforts. In talking to other organizations, the founder of Hugs to Kuwait mentioned the Silver Grove Girl Scouts, which caught the attention of Today show executives.

"The girls were totally ecstatic," Clarke said. "I don't know which excited them more - to be on the Today show or the feeling that they did something really good."

The cases of shortbread, peanut butter patties and Caramel DeLites were mailed Friday afternoon. The cost of shipping - about $20 per case - is almost as much as the $30-per-case cost of cookies.

E-mail mdowns@enquirer.com