<http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/03/04/2003101088>

US fruitcakes take Afghanistan by storm, military says

SPARTANBURG , SOUTH CAROLINA
Thursday, Mar 04, 2004,Page 6

Claxton fruitcakes have now contributed to world peace, or at least they've
made Lieutenant Colonel Glenn Bramhall of Spartanburg a popular American
in Afghanistan.

Bramhall is commander of a unit of 300 soldiers from all branches of the
military who are there to train and mentor the 3rd Brigade of the Afghan
National Army.

The Americans train the Afghans to use tanks and armored fighting vehicles.

Bramhall left for Afghanistan before the height of fruitcake season in the
South. So his mother-in-law mailed two Claxton fruitcakes to her
son-in-law's compound outside of Kabul.

The US commander shared his "Southern delicacy" during teatime with an
Afghan general, who devoured it and demanded to know which "secret" bakery
in Kabul baked the cakes, because his people had never had such a
delicacy.

Bramhall gave him his second cake and promised more.

He called home and told his wife to please send more fruitcakes.

It was January. Christmas was long gone. But his wife, Faith, went from
grocery store to grocery store in search of more.

"There just were no more fruitcakes in this town," she said.

Then a Bi-Lo grocery store manager told her to check with the Civitans, who
traditionally stock stores with Claxton fruitcakes to raise money for the
service club. Faith called Sandy Sanders, a longtime Civitan, and asked
for 5kg of cakes.

Then Sanders called to say he had been to the warehouse and could send at
least 10kg.

"Later, he called and said, `What about 25kg?'"

He called again and upped it to 50kg.

In the end, Sanders and the Civitans mailed 70kg of fruitcake -- or six
cases -- to Bramhall in Afghanistan.

"The delivery caused riots, fights," because everyone wanted some, Bramhall
said.

Bramhall has since e-mailed Claxton to let them know that their fruitcakes
have been part of the "peace-keeping" effort in Afghanistan.

Dale Parker, the vice president of Claxton Bakery Inc in Claxton, Georgia,
said he got the e-mail and was surprised and pleased to see that the
fruitcakes were contributing to his country's effort.

"I bet he'd be a good fruitcake salesman. Maybe he could be our Afghanistan
representative," Parker joked.

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-Jeff B.
yeff at erols dot com