388th AMXS gives back to Troop 76

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Stefanie Torres
  • 388th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --  Members of the 388th Aircraft Maintenance Group and Girl Scout Troop 76 came together for a girl scouts bridging ceremony Sunday, June 11 at 5:30 p.m. at the Oak Park Lawn in North Ogden. 

Members of the 388th Fighter Wing presented these girls with a very special gift as a way of saying thank you for their support while the 388th was deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

They presented the girls with a flag that was flown over Iraq by a female pilot. "It was definitely a great ceremony. It was very touching," said Ms. Cheri Beck, Director of Communications with the Girl Scouts of Utah. 

When the 388th AMXS was almost done with half of their deployment to Balad Air Base, Iraq, Troop 76 decided to do something special for deployed members. "The girls thought it would be nice to send 150 boxes of cookies to them," said Ms. Beck. "Through the Gift of Caring program, community members are able to donate money to the troop so they can afford to give back to the individuals of their choice." 

This time the girls decided to help the 388th. "We were grateful to receive the cookies. Even with the negative spin on the war, it was nice to see so much support from our community," said Staff Sgt. Aaron Weimer, 388th AMXS weapons crew chief.
With some time to go before returning home to their families and friends, the gift benefited 388th members' appetite and mood. "I think it improved our morale. After a couple of days, I noticed there were hardly any left so I think we enjoyed them," said Sergeant Weimer. 

The girl scouts had a bridging ceremony Sunday and invited the 388th members to attend. "The girl scouts go through different bridging ceremonies, or different levels as they get older," said Ms. Beck. "The ceremony recognizes what the girls accomplish. It gives them a glimpse of what the girl scouts can look forward to as a junior girl scout. To actually have them see what an effect they have, was wonderful for them." The 388th AMXS was stationed at Balad Air Base, Iraq, with the 4th Fighter Squadron for a four-month Air and Space Expeditionary Force deployment. They helped provide air support for coalition ground forces.