SAN DIEGO -- A Coast Guard helicopter Saturday hoisted from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Midway a pallet containing the 1-millionth box of Girl Scout cookies to be delivered to troops overseas.

Since the inception of "Operation Thin Mint" in 2002, created to give troops deployed abroad a "taste of home," Girl Scouts from San Diego and Imperial Counties have distributed 1 million boxes of cookies.

This year alone, 261,155 boxes of cookies and thousands of notes will go to troops stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Japan, Korea and aboard ships in the Persian Gulf, Western Pacific and Indian Ocean.

To mark the 1 million milestone, 1,000 Girl Scouts, military personnel and community leaders took part in a Saturday morning ceremony aboard Midway museum.

The event featured a seven-member color guard, a state flag collection and guests were able to write notes of appreciation to the military that will accompany the cookies on the trip overseas.