By Brenna R. Kelly
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Two Anderson Township Girl Scout troops were honored Monday night by the U.S. Coast Guard for sending cookies to troops stationed in Iraq.

Girl Scout Troop 135 and Brownie Girl Scout Troop 7297 initially set out to collect 200 boxes of cookies for the troops.

They ended up with 554 - enough for one out of every three of the 1,300 Coast Guard men and women stationed oversees to have a box of cookies.

Aboard the Belle of Cincinnati Monday night, Vice Adm. James Hull gave the girls the Coast Guard Public Service Commendation. The award is the Coast Guard's third highest civilian award.

The Girl Scouts "demonstrated great patriotism, caring and support of the Coast Guard and its missions," the commendation states.

"They not only increased the morale of Coast Guard forces oversees, they also helped raise awareness of the Coast Guard's contribution to the global war on terrorism in a Midwest community that has otherwise little contact with the Coast Guard."

The 28 girls set up cookie tables outside grocery stores where people bought boxes and put them in donation boxes. They also asked for donations to buy boxes.

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E-mail bkelly@enquirer.com