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Bruce Willis buys Girl Scout cookies for US troops
2002-05-09
LOS ANGELES - He may be one of the world's most famous movie tough guys but "Die Hard" star Bruce Willis also has a soft spot in his heart for Girl Scouts and their cookies. Inspired by the youngest of his three daughters, Tallulah Belle Willis, 8, who is in the second grade and was selling the famous treats for her Sun Valley, Idaho Brownie-Girl Scout troop, the 47-year-old actor bought 12,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies for shipment to U.S. troops serving in and near Afghanistan, his publicist, Paul Bloch said Tuesday. Tallulah Belle herself, along with her cousins, Katie and Haley Rogers, came up with the idea to donate the cookies when they realized the men and women in Afghanistan would not have a chance to enjoy such quintessentially American treats as Peanut Butter Patties, Thin Mints, and Samoas, Bloch said. The children, he said, "wanted to create an opportunity to bring a taste of home to the military troops overseas, as a way to say thank you and show their support and appreciation for their heroic efforts in protecting our freedom," Bloch said. Willis paid the full price of $36,000, troop leader Sue Dumke said, adding that he and his ex-wife Demi Moore, Tallulah Belle's mother, are enthusiastic supporters of the Girl Scouts and the ideals they embody. Dumke also said that because the cookies are only made for a few months of the year, the donation required reopening a bakery, as well as permission from the Defense Department. "Tallulah Belle was very proud of her father for doing this and he was much more proud of her," Bloch said. The cookies were en route to the region Tuesday and would be divided among Army and Air Force personnel as well as Navy sailors and Marines aboard the USS Wasp, an amphibious assault vessel, and the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy, Defense Department spokesman Lt. Col. Jim Cassella said. "Early on (in the war) we were overwhelmed by an outpouring of support by the American people. This donation is not only appreciated but shows that Americans continue to support us, and for that we are very appreciative," Cassella said. "Certainly there are no Girl Scouts in Afghanistan or on the ships," he said. "The only way to get the cookies is if family members send care packages so people will enjoy having them."... ... | Note: this page has been archived under Muzi Premium Version and is only available to premium members. Please use the Premium Personal Password (PPP) to log in.
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