More than 2,000 revelers recently gathered aboard the USS Midway Museum for Girl Scouts San Diego’s 14th annual Operation Thin Mint® (OTM) Sendoff. Highlights included live music, helicopter action, a rifle drill team, and an all-woman color guard representing the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy.
More than 2,000 revelers recently gathered aboard the USS Midway Museum for Girl Scouts San Diego’s 14th annual Operation Thin Mint® (OTM) Sendoff. Highlights included live music, helicopter action, a rifle drill team, and an all-woman color guard representing the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy.
The event showcases Girl Scouts San Diego’s OTM program, through which generous cookie customers “send a taste of home and a note to show we care” to deployed service men and women. This year, San Diegans celebrated sending the 2.5 millionth box of cookies to U.S. military troops. Wells Fargo, Cox Communications, SDG&E, KPBS and KSON were Four Star sponsors. The USS Midway Museum provided key support.
Top Girl Scout cookie sellers arriving and departing by helicopter included five from East County. La Mesa Girl Scouts Ashley Prus, Savanah Baird and Taylorann Quick of Troop 21, Karen Dumitru of Troop 6732, and Santee sisters Christina and Jessica Bailey, who are independent members. They were among just 20 Girl Scouts in the region who sold 2,015 or more boxes in 2015.
The Sendoff festivities began on the flight deck, which featured vintage aircraft displays, Uncle Sam on stilts and canine ambassadors for Freedom Dogs, a nonprofit organization serving wounded warriors. Military personnel from all branches took the stage for a ceremony emceed by KSON DJs John and Tammy. Spectators enjoyed performances by the Faultlines band featuring The Voice contestant Ashley Morgan, and the San Diego High School JROTC drill team.
Attendees had the opportunity to personally thank members of the armed forces for serving their country—and to write notes of support for deployed troops receiving cookies through OTM. Participants also donated nonperishable groceries to The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, which held a food drive that morning.
OTM Sendoff guests included Girl Scouts taking part in a sleepover aboard the historic ship, which recently marked its 70th anniversary. Girls bunked below deck to get a taste of Navy life. While exploring the world-class carrier, they learned about the nearly all-women crew who built the ship.
