THIS PAGE HAS BEEN CREATED FOR OUR BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN IN MILITARY SERVICE.
They frequently contact us with ‘Thank You’ Notes or Emails expressing their great appreciation for the care packages that we send to them.
Please scroll down to read notes we have received.
**PLEASE REMEMBER OPSEC RULES BY NOT INCLUDING ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION ABOUT OUR TROOPS WHEN POSTING, AS THIS IS A PUBLIC PAGE.**
Troops enjoying the boxes we sent them
in November 2022.
Troops from our local National Guard Unit receiving some cookies. June, 2022.
One of our moms son and crew getting their care packages. May, 2022.
Our proud Marines enjoyed getting their packages of Girl Scout cookies and other goodies. May, 2022.
Some of the troops had a little creative fun with the Girl Scout cookies!
Howdy!!!
I just wanted to thank you and your organization for bringing us a GIANT taste of home to us. There’s no words that I know that can portray the feeling of pride, knowing that we aren’t forgotten, and we do have people back home who support us. We received an unthinkable 5 boxes full of cookies via Austin Howard (he is currently forward deployed). It is probably the most girl scout cookies I have ever seen. I was able to get my shift, and the admin shift to take some pictures for ya’ll.
Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart. And know that ya’ll support means the absolute world to us.
Al Udeid AB, Qatar
What a wonderfully pleasant surprise to go to our mailbox one day, open it and find a letter packet from military personnel overseas. At first we thought something we had shipped from our Christmas Pack out was being return but what we found inside the packet brought tears to all of our eyes. When we send out boxes to military personnel who are deployed we also add in cards and letters from local school children. What was different this time was that the military personnel who received them actually took the time to write back to the children! There were more than 15 letters sent back to us so we will only post a few of them. We hope you enjoy reading these notes as much as we did!
~~Nick is a best friend of Lynn’s son and family:
I would like to thank you and the rest of the Greenville Upstate Blue Star Mothers for all the girl scout cookies that you sent. It was an immediate morale booster, and we could not believe how many cookies kept coming out of the boxes.
Your boxes found us well and safe, and I hung up the notes from the Girl Scout Troops on the wall for my team to see. They were greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much for all you do for the military members serving overseas, and I wish your sons and daughters who are serving my best wishes as well.
Thank you again for your generosity.
~~ From Lucero’s son:
Holy cow! Nine cases of cookies! I didn’t that many were coming. Good
timing. I just took over a division with almost 70 people. They were very
excited to get them. I asked for a few thank you letters. I’ll send them
out altogether once done.
|
Good Morning!
I apologize for the lack of specifics in this email, but I’m about five levels of command too low to make official statements about units and their locations. However, in the off chance that no one higher up gets the chance to contact you, I wanted to make sure at least you knew your package was well-received and absolutely adored.
My unit and I just got to where we shall be spending a long time away from our families. Your package was sent to someone already at this location, and they graciously gifted it to us as a welcome present since they knew we were in the period of adjustment.
Personally, I’ve always had a weakness for the Thin Mints. That being said, they were actually the last to fully disappear, since the purple box (caramel delights? They disappeared so quickly I didn’t get much of a chance to examine them!) and the lemon cookies were surprise hits. I was fully expecting the boxes to take a few days to fully be distributed, but almost all of them were gone within two hours!
Most soldiers took two boxes, with a few taking the occasional three and four counts of boxes with the promise to share with their living companions that couldn’t make it to our little distribution event. I can honestly say I had yet to see most of them as happy as they were while they clutched their acquisitions and ran back to their bunks (in a thoroughly military and professional manner at all times, of course).
I don’t know how many of these boxes are going to survive the night, but I think tomorrow morning’s chow line isn’t going to be quite as competitive as it usually is. Personally, I’m putting my (not quite full) box of thin mints into the nearest freezer for when the days get unbearably hot!
While unexpected, the toothbrushes and floss were also very appreciated. (It’s amazing how otherwise very competent young men and women can seem to forget that they need to actually replace their toothbrushes until asked the question point blank!) The dental clinic will no doubt appreciate your forethought, even if they don’t realize it!
I apologize that I don’t have any pictures to share; we were asked to not take any photographs or selfies while we’re here. I’m hoping that our chain of command will reach out to you all in a more official capacity, since they can be more open about the who and where of us. But, even if that never happens (they do have a lot going on right now!), I hope that everyone in your organization knows that your gift was so very much appreciated and vehemently enjoyed (stomach aches and sugar crashes being both minor and fleeting in the face of one of our most quintessentially American delicacies).
With a happy heart, (over?)full stomach, and lifted spirits, I say the most sincere ‘Thank You’ I can express in this unofficial digital medium. You really did make quite a few of our soldiers’ days, and that is priceless out here! I hope the higher powers can thank you more officially and thoroughly than I can!
Very Respectfully
P.S. – As anemic and unspecific as this letter is, if you still wished to use it on your website, that would be fine. As stated, though, I’m really hoping a higher power can shoot you something with a little more flesh on the bones to fully thank you guys ‘n’ gals for what you do!
~~ from Linda Azurunwa:
The boxes delivered today to my son’s troop. The last box was half full so I bought boxes of Fiddle Faddle and other snacks to fill it. That’s why the one hero is holding Fiddle Faddle. ?
I told Ian a picture of him would be nice and yay, he sent one back.
~~ from Karla Luers’ daughter:
Good afternoon, Blue Star Moms (and Dads!),
And a hearty “hello” from the Middle East! My name is LT Elise Luers and I am a pilot as well as the Avionics Division Officer for HELSEACOMBATRON ELEVEN (HSC-11) – a carrier-based MH60S helicopter squadron. I wanted to drop a quick note to express my squadron’s SINCERE gratitude for your packages! Several of yall’s boxes were delivered to our ship – the USS Harry S Truman – just before Christmas. The timing could not have been better, opening your boxes truly felt like Christmas morning. We continue to treasure the notes and cards – many are still taped to desks in staterooms and shops or hung around the Ready Room for all to see. But the delicious snacks did not last long. 🙂 The protein bars, jerky, peanut butter, and Oreos were specifically huge hits! As were several of the less consumable items. I personally wear the workout socks from your boxes every day as I go to the ship’s gym and the laundry detergent was positively perfect! My roommate had nearly run out and it was incredible to see her smile – knowing her clothes could continue to be clean and smell like home. Even the little things – the ear cleaners, feminine hygiene products, deodorant, pencils, highlighters, sharpies, any and every office material or paper product – were snatched up so quickly it really was like watching little kids compete over the last of the Christmas cookies.
I have attached two photos – one of me and my roommate celebrating Christmas on the flight deck and the other of an HSC-11 helicopter providing Vertical Replenishment (VERTREP) (how your boxes are delivered) to the ship.
On behalf of the entirety of HSC-11, “Thank You”, for all that you do and continue to do for our servicemen and servicewomen around the world. Your time, efforts, and willingness to reach out to those far from home means more than words could ever express. We are beyond grateful for the goodies and even more so for your kindness and well-wishes.
Have a very blessed holiday season!
Slay all day!
~~ Blue Star Mothers,
Greetings from Kandahar, Afghanistan. I recently was the recipient of a large donation of care packages from your organization. I would like to express my overwhelming gratitude for all of your hard work and efforts to boost morale overseas. I see that your organization was founded by those that have sons and daughters serving. We too are grateful for their sacrifice.
Often overlooked and more times than not under appreciated, the families of those serving have an equally burdensome sacrifice in defending our nation and its values. As service members are mobilized, their families must take on new roles and responsibilities. They must care for everything on the home-front like paying bills, getting the kids to all of their extracurricular activities, cutting the grass, etc. As a deployed service member, I am truly grateful for those stateside that ensure that the mission is successful.
Though some might disagree with me, the letters written our by nations’ youngsters carry more weight than the tangible items received. I know that these letters, patriotic pictures, and kind words are the direct reflection of a parent, teacher, Sunday school class, or daycare worker that is instilling American values into an impressionable young mind. Your efforts are helping raise children to be teenagers and further adults that will respect the national Ensign and understand the price that has been paid for it to fly freely. You are molding the next generation of those defending freedom and democracy around the globe. You are building the future pride our nation. In a time where our youngsters see flags being trampled in the streets and people demonstrating a blatant disrespect for the country, you are building a powerful generation of those that stop what they are doing to pause in reverence for the national anthem as it is played. You are shaping a generation that can’t watch the American flag being raised without the hairs on their neck standing in pride.
I applaud you for all of your efforts. The contributions of those deployed is given overseas in 6-9 month intervals but your contributions will have a lasting impact for many generations to come.
Very Respectfully,
LT Rob
~~ Hello From The Middle East!
We just received yalls packages today and were extremely thankful. Getting a package from SC reminds us of home more than you know. We were all blown away by the different types of Oreos and seeing the Chick-fil-a sauce just made all of us laugh.
As we read yalls letter and went through the boxes we couldn’t help but say that our Soldiers, in another location, would love this stuff. We then took out a few items and shipped the rest to our Soldiers in other areas. They are not in the best of environments and are very limited to what they can get. We are doing our best to ensure we can get them things they are requesting. It would be greatly appreciated if we could have a helping hand.
1. Laundry PODS
2. Baby wipes
3. Feminine products (no cardboard)
4. Dawn dish soap
5. Ground Coffee
6. Snacks
Thanks again for all the support and prayers.
~~ I just wanted to thank you guys for the wonderful care packages . Being away for the holidays isn’t always the best but the cards and meaningful messages and goodies really do bring a smile to my face! As well as my fellow soldiers ! Greatly appreciate it!
~~ I just wanted to say thank you so much! I received your packages and seeing all of my fellow soldiers faces. Really warmth my heart. We truly appreciate everything that was send. Having to be away from family for the holidays hasn’t been easy for any of us; but seeing the letters and all the goodies really brought us joy. Thank you so much once again. Thank you for your support. And all the organization does! It is truly amazing!
~~ From Lucero Sewell’s son:
Dear Blue Star Mothers,
Thank you so very much for your gracious gifts. The Sailors in my division absolutely loved everything that you sent them. The snacks will surely come in handy for the long working hours to come. Your continued support is greatly appreciated and I wanted to personally thank you for your care package. Take care and God Bless.
~~ From Chris Nottingham’s son:
Dear Blue Star Mom’s,
On behalf of everyone here, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the amazing care packages you all put together for us. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to snap any pictures because the packages got torn into by a bunch of raging madmen! The baby wipes have been a huge help to grab a quick clean up after hours of jobbing on the jets. The snacks are all pretty much gone already and they were a huge hit. Regrettably we weren’t able to enjoy the popcorn due to not being allowed to have microwaves in our tents. But we have a donation box here for anything that we can’t use so it won’t go to waste. Everyone here was extremely grateful for everything that was sent!
Thanks again from all the men and women here who will always be looked as your children. Because of you all we are here able to serve.
~~ Good morning Kay!
My Battery received your package of Girl Scout Cookies late last week. Since the package consisted of consumable items, it was held at German customs. No worries though, they were still fresh and my guys/gals have went through them very quickly. It is amazing how a gesture like this can brighten the spirits of Soldiers abroad. This was a very generous and thoughtful of you and Greenville Upstate Blue Star Mothers. I am very thankful for your organization and the “little bit” of home my Soldiers got to experience. We are all in good spirits, but certainly counting down the days until we see our families again.
~~ From Susan Luttrell’s nephew:
Hey Aunt Susan, I just wanted to reach out to you and express my gratitude to you and all the Blue Star Mother’s. I received the care packages of Girl Scout cookies and they have made myself and my troops very happy!!!
~~ From Kay Fitzsimmons’ son:
Hope this finds y’all doing well. We just got the 5 big boxes of girl scout cookies! They were a hit. Pretty sure each of the Marines got a full box and a half so I will blame you when they fail their physical fitness test or are overweight haha. We truly appreciated them and please pass along our thanks to the other Blue Star Mothers that helped you.
~~ Good afternoon Blue Star Mothers of Greenville!
The Dragonslayers of HELSEACOMBATRON SQUADRON ELEVEN (HSC-11) would like to extend a warm and heart-felt THANK YOU for your thoughtful and utterly enjoyable care package. The cookies did not last long but your letter will spend the rest of deployment hanging on the walls of our ready room aboard the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75). We have attached to this email a couple photos as a small gesture of our gratitude.
Thank you for supporting our troops. It is moments like these that make the burden a little bit easier to bear. A burden Blue Star Mothers know all too well. Thank you for all YOU do. We can’t do this alone.
With all of our very best.
P.S. I loved my time as a Girl Scout in New Hampshire. I learned so much and gained a great deal of independence and confidence as a young woman. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the life lessons I learned as a Brownie all the way through my Silver Award. Thank you for reminding me what being a Girl Scout is all about. And continue to dream! You never know where the Girl Scouts might take you — the skies the limit… unless you’re a pilot, then there are no limits!
DOUBLE ONE…. SECOND TO NONE!!
~~ Ms. Kay Fitzsimmons,
Hello ma’am! My name is Kristi Tellier and I am deployed at Al Udeid Airbase Qatar. I wanted to thank you SO much for the Girl Scout cookies! We are enjoying them immensely and have shared with our Security Forces brothers and sisters working the gates on base. They were extremely appreciative. It’s always a nice surprise to get something that reminds us of home – thank you again!
~~ Ma’am,
Thank you so much for sending the Girl Scout cookies to my husband LCDR Pegues. He just sent me an email that expressed his happiness at getting the box. The long hours at work and high temperatures have impacted everyone. The cookies were a hit with the troops and put a smile on many faces. He walked around his work area and passed boxes. From the bottom of my heart – “thank you.”
~~ Dear Kay and Blue Star Mothers,
THANK YOU!! I want to truly thank you for the Care Packages I have been receiving over the last few weeks. They were shared by all nineteen soldiers in my section and about 10 civilians. I especially loved explaining to everyone exactly where Greenville is and what we had to offer (#yeahthatgreenville). I’m not sure how you received my information but I am so thankful you did. So again on behalf of USARCENT (FWD) G-6, THANK YOU!! Please tell Cheryl Shaffer (return address) thank you as well.
~~ WOW…THANK YOU SO MUCH!
What a great surprise! The Soldiers are loving your gifts. They were like kids in a candy store. There isn’t a way to replace or eliminate the feelings of missing loved ones this time of year but it’s kind thoughts, dedicated service and your patriotic devotion to our Soldiers that delivered many smiles and joyful hearts on this day, here in Afghanistan.
THANK YOU from the Soldiers of the 25th Signal Battalion, 228th TTSB and myself.
~~ Just wanted to say THANK YOU the Girl Scout cookies arrived in Japan and Justin was over whelmed. He had never seen so many Girl Scout cookies in his life and shared them with his company. Please send me information about the Blue Star Mothers.
Elaine Hiler
~~ My name is Tanner Elgin. I am in grim troop 3/3 CR out of Fort Hood Texas. I recently received a care package from you guys and I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated everything that you sent. I actually received a huge amount of care packages from you guys. I was actually born in Greenville, SC so it was really crazy to see that I got packages from Mauldin and Simpsonville. I lived in Florence South Carolina until enlisting in the army. I also went to Clemson for a couple of years before joining the army so I’m a huge Tiger fan. I have been deployed to Afghanistan for the past 7 months so just 2 more left for me. But thank you for everything that you guys do, my platoon had a field day with all the packages that were sent. Thank you again and if I get some good pictures updated to my phone I could send you guys some pictures of some of the guys.
~~ Please pass along our deepest thank you to your team. Over the last few days we have received a number of care packages from the Blue Star Mothers. I can’t tell you how thankful we are to receive them. It is apparent that your team took a great deal of time and pride in putting them together. It truly put a smile on many faces.
Thank you again for what you do and for your support.
~~ Fall 2014
Dear Ms. Dodgens and the Greenville Upstate Blue Star Mothers,
Thank you soooo much for the kind of encouragement and all the items and snacks that you sent us. Even though we are not able to be with our families during the holidays it feels good to know that there are awesome people like you who support and care about us. And your care means more than you know. Several of up teared up at the sight of your overwhelming generosity. We joined the USAF knowing that our mission might separate us from our loved ones. But it is our job to defend and protect our country. Rest assured that we take our job very seriously. We are here to keep you safe and it is our honor to fight for you!
Thank you!!!
~~ 11/27/14
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you so much for the care package. I’m very grateful and I can assure you we are all very happy with the snacks you sent, they are delicious! We appreciate all your efforts to make our holidays that much better since we cannot spend them with our loved ones. So many thanks for the reading material and all the much needed toiletries. We are all doing very well and are more than happy to sacrifice a little bit of our time and commodities so that we can all live safe with piece of mind.
My name is Nancy Muir I serve in the Air Force and this is actually my first deployment. I work in munitions systems and I love my job! Things are going very well, I’m able to call home every day to speak to my husband and family. Even though I cannot be with them for the holidays I assure you I’ll have a great time spending it with my military brothers and sisters. We know how to have fun and keep spirits high! 🙂 Thank you again for everything you do to support us, have a wonderful thanks giving and a lovely Christmas. “
Fly, Fight, Win!”
~~ 11/26/14
To Everyone at Blue Star Mothers,
I would like to thank you for the care packages you have sent us. Trahan has shared all of the packages with us and we really appritiate all the care that you put into making these packages. The items included in the boxes makes this deployment seem a lot more like home. Once again thank you so very much god bless, and have a happy holidays!
~~ 11/26/14
Hello over there,
How are you doing? My name is Kayla and I received one of your care packages. I wanted to take the time to thank you. THANK YOU! This package was everything I needed in one. I can tell you guys put the time and effort into this care package. I thank you for that. You truly know what someone deployed needs. It means a lot to me that you guys took the time out of your day to make me smile. Once again thank you for everything. You have brighten this deployment and I don’t know how I could ever repay you guys.
~~ 11/26/14
Good day Linda,
I am actually using someone else’s email to write you but I had to say thank you on behalf of all the guys here. We are stationed at S.C. so it was even good seeing the postage. From the hand towels to the Bible word search book we were excited to receive. I was also able to snap a picture or two of the guys looking at the items, so when I am able to upload them you will get our smiling faces.
Please know that we consider it an honor serving so the thanks goes both ways.
Thanks for the love.
The Girl Scouts deliver — no matter where our troops are deployed, they all appreciate receiving a delivery from the Girl Scouts!!
