[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 136 (Wednesday, December 27, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2244]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING MS. GERMAINE BROUSSARD

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 27, 2006

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor on behalf of Rep. Tom Davis and 
myself to recognize Ms. Germaine Broussard of McLean, Virginia, for her 
dedication to sending many cookies and other packages to U.S. troops 
overseas.
  Ms. Broussard is known as the Cookie Lady to those who have 
benefitted from her kindness. She has already baked and shipped over 
51,000 cookies to servicemembers. She has dedicated many hours of her 
free time and her own resources toward baking cookies to thank U.S. 
troops.
  I am proud to call attention to the dedication of Ms. Broussard. I 
would also like to share a recent article from The Stars and Stripes 
which describes Ms. Broussard's hard work.

              [From the Stars and Stripes, Nov. 21, 2006]

              Va. Woman Cooking Up Eats Galore for Troops

                           (By Kirsten Brown)

       Washington.--When Lt. j.g. Gregory Trach, 34, received an 
     e-mail from Germaine Broussard two years ago asking 
     permission to send cookies to his ship, he thought little of 
     it.
       ``Thank you for your support of the U.S. military,'' he 
     responded, then dismissed the request as a thoughtful but 
     meaningless gesture.
       A few weeks later, the USS Shreveport received 12 boxes 
     packed with more than 1,800 chocolate chip, peanut butter, 
     oatmeal and sugar cookies. Shocked, Trach sent Broussard a 
     second e-mail: ``We thought you were kidding!''
       That was Trach's first brush with ``the Cookie Lady.''
       So far, Broussard, 39, has baked and shipped more than 
     51,000 cookies to servicemembers. The McLean, Va., resident 
     calls her mostly one-woman program ``Troop Treats.''
       It felt like Christmas to Lt. Col. Skip Goodwillie, 45, 
     each time he and his unit opened a box from Broussard. 
     Goodwillie, who is in the Army Reserves, was stationed 
     northeast of Baghdad at Kir Kush military base when he 
     started getting cookies.
       ``It was just wonderful to have mail call and hear, `Hey 
     Skip, the Cookie Lady sent us another box,' '' Goodwillie 
     said. ``It was wonderful for our morale.''
       The Cookie Lady does get donations, but she pays for most 
     of it out of her own pocket. After her job as a Smith Barney 
     business development associate, Broussard comes home to start 
     mixing batter about 7 p.m. She pulls the last cookies from 
     the oven between 1 and 3 a.m.
       ``Some people can be a little hesitant about why am I doing 
     this,'' Broussard said. ``I had wanted to do something, but 
     with the Red Cross, you donate money, and they send the box. 
     But our family has always used home-baked cookies, bread, 
     whatever, to be able to say thank you.''
       Broussard also sends necessities such as travel-sized 
     shampoo, soap, toothpaste, mouthwash and other treats, 
     including DVDs, Cocoa Rice Krispies and cheesecake mix. 
     ``It's a small piece of home,'' she said.
       Embedded teddy bears are also part of her effort. 
     Broussard's six ``Battle Buddies'' bears are dressed in 
     camouflage and she could fill an album with pictures of 
     beaming soldiers posing with their brown battle buddy.
       Broussard will soon launch her second holiday project, 
     ``Operation Santa's Little Helpers,'' which enlists children 
     to write cheery cards to the troops. These notes are tucked 
     in red or blue stockings along with presents such as Slinky 
     toys, Silly Putty, playing cards and, of course, candy.
       In junior high school, Broussard earned only a ``B'' in her 
     home economics class. ``I don't use a standard one-cup 
     measuring method,'' she said. ``It's just a little of this, 
     little of that. The home ec teacher went crazy. I'd love to 
     go back to that teacher and say, hmm! Wonder who's right 
     now?''

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