This year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts of America, founded in March 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low. Just five years later, Florence Lowe, a Kamehameha School for Girls teacher, organized Girl Scout Troop 1, quickly followed by the Liliuokalani Troop 2, named after Hawaii’s queen.

At no time in Hawaii’s history was the Girl Scouts motto, "Be prepared," put to the test more than during World War II. By 2 p.m. on Dec. 7, 1941, the Girl Scouts, under the direction of Ruth McCulley, served meals to first responders in a cafeteria set up at the Central Union Church.

At the Kalihi evacuation center, in a neighborhood where many homes were destroyed by faulty U. S. anti-aircraft fire, Troops 19, 90 and 92 washed dishes — lots of dishes. During the first two weeks of the war, they washed all the dishes that were used to feed more than 1,000 people a day.

All over Oahu, Girl Scouts collected glass for blood banks to store blood. During the first week of the war, they collected 3,000 bottles. They volunteered in hospitals as junior aides — wheeled patients, cleaned units, made beds, served meals, washed sheets. They made "fracture pillows," surgical bandages and they knit blankets. Some of the older girls wrote letters for injured servicemen and the troop from Kamehameha baked 400 cookies a week for patients.

The Girl Scouts did anything that was requested of them, and sometimes the requests were unique.

Troops 2 and 3 acted as "wounded citizens" during first-aid and bomb drills. In Waianae, a troop assembled poppies for the Veterans of Foreign Wars to sell. Troop 47 and 66 collected koa seeds for the occupational therapists at the "St. Louis Army Hospital" to be used for rehabilitation projects. Those two troops also managed a clothing drive for the people of the Philippines.

Of course, food was a big issue during the war and everyone was encouraged to grow "victory gardens." On Oahu, every Saturday the Office of Civilian Defense sold vegetable seeds, and for two years, the Girl Scouts helped it with sales.

Different troops took on different projects: On Maui, the Girl Scouts acted as junior USO hostesses, trained as hospital aides — and for two years, one troop raised flowers and each week delivered 50 bouquets to the Army hospital.

On Hawaii island, a Kona troop collected edible wild roots, leaves, seeds and plants, and learned how to prepare meals with them and their medicinal uses.

The Girl Scouts as an organization made a significant sacrifice for the war effort. Their beloved summer camp, Haleopua, was taken over by the military governor. On Dec. 8, 1941, knowing that the camp would be turned over, Margaret Fritschi, commissioner of the Oahu Girl Scouts, went out to the camp to rescue a flag given to Troop 2 by Queen Liliuokalani. The flag was originally draped over the queen’s koa piano at Washington Place. At Camp Haleopua it was mounted over the fireplace.

Fritschi and Mrs. E.E. Black, Girl Scouts president, turned the rescued flag over to the Bishop Museum for safekeeping, where it was stored until 1992. In 1992, when the Girl Scouts of Hawaii moved to its present headquarters, the flag was returned and remains on display in the lobby.

Correction: Margaret Fritschi rescued a flag given to the Girl Scouts by Queen Liliuokalani. An earlier version of this story and a story in the print edition said it was Ethel Fritchi.