Editor's note: Sgt. Calvin Gatch, Platteville, who is serving with the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan, is periodically submitting stories and photos from his experiences. The most recent communication details the joy that Platteville Girl Scout cookies have brought to his fellow soldiers and Afghanistan residents.
"We are closing in on the halfway mark of the deployment and for the first time my wife, Becky is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel," wrote Calvin. "Having the support of her family, friends and the community has meant so much to her."
Gatch sent photos from recent convoy mission and from the project coordinated by his daughter, Abigail's Daisy Girl Scout Troop led by Lucinda Champion. "When Lucinda discovered that I was over here she initiated a ‘Troop for Troops,' initiative with the Girl Scout cookie sale and encouraged people to donate a box of cookies with their purchase to send to the Marines in my platoon," said Gatch. "She sent three large boxes of cookies as well as notes from the girls, which were adorable. I took the cookies out on convoys and distributed them to other Marines and to the Afghan truck drivers that we contract to haul our fuel."