Girl Scouts stuff stockings for troops

Sisters Girl Scouts stuffed stockings for Marines deployed in Iraq. The effort was part of the nationwide Operation Santa, designed to give American troops a touch of home at the holidays. photo by Jim Cornelius Girls from the Western Rivers Girl Scout Troop 757 marked Veterans Day a day early on Wednesday, November 10, by stuffing stockings to be sent to Marines deployed in Iraq.

The stocking-stuffing party at the Sisters Elementary School Commons was part of Operation Santa, spearheaded at the elementary school by teacher Betsy Leighty. Leighty is a retired officer with the Oregon National Guard and is still intimately connected with military affairs.

Earlier on Wednesday, Leighty participated in uniform in a flag raising ceremony at the school.

The Girl Scouts stuffed the stockings with items ranging from toothpaste and Carmex to notebooks and pens and games. The contents of the stockings were donated by students in each of the elementary school classes. Each stocking was labeled with a Marine's name, giving the leathernecks a personal touch of Sisters.

The stockings will go to the Motor Transport Platoon, 2/10 Headquarters Battery, a unit selected by the central organizers of Operation Santa. The stockings with personal items will be accompanied by a "big box o' stuff" which will be shared among the members of the platoon.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars post made a cash contribution to the project, as did two private individuals.