How can I punch out shapes between multiple layers?

Question

EDIT: Working in Illustrator, vector as final product.

Hello, I'm trying to turn the white stars pictured here transparent. Problem is, I'm a newbie and probably made this the wrong way. There are multiple shapes at work here: The circle, five white stars, four green stars, and a couple of secret green squares to hide the bits of the 2nd star poking out. My first problem was erasing everything outside of the circle; the best solution I found to that was to make a clipping mask, but then I couldn't do much with the resulting shape. Using the "minus front" isn't working for me because of the way the white stars are layered. I've searched and searched and can't seem to find a fix for this specific problem. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

EDIT 2: Thanks to Scott, I was able to achieve exactly what I wanted, and I've learned a bit more about Illustrator. :) The blue background is only for contrast. The finished product is only the green. Thanks again!!

Answer 1

Do this on a copy, just in case you aren't happy....

• Select all the green and white (not sure if you want stars punching through the blue. If you do, then select the blue too)
• Click the Merge button on the Pathfinder Panel (Window > Pathfinder)
• Use the Direct Selection Tool (white arrow) to click one white area
• Choose Select > Same > Fill & Stroke from the menu
• Hit the Delete key

Done. :)