[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 161 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.Con.Res.161
                                    Agreed to September 27, 2004        

                       One Hundred Eighth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
           the twentieth day of January, two thousand and four


                          Concurrent Resolution

Whereas at the beginning of World War II residents of North Platte, 
  Nebraska, received information that members of the Nebraska National 
  Guard from the North Platte area would be traveling through the 
  community of North Platte on a troop train en route to the west 
  coast;

Whereas residents of the North Platte community met the troop train on 
  December 17, 1941, with food and other gifts for the troops when they 
  arrived at the Union Pacific train station;

Whereas although the troop train carried young men from Kansas instead 
  of members of the Nebraska National Guard, the residents of North 
  Platte presented the young men from Kansas with the food and other 
  items that were donated;

Whereas Rae Wilson, of North Platte, proposed establishing the North 
  Platte Canteen to the North Platte community so residents would greet 
  every troop train that traveled through North Platte and provide the 
  military troops with comforts from home on their way to serve their 
  country during World War II;

Whereas on December 25, 1941, the North Platte Canteen began serving 
  food and other items to the United States military troops traveling 
  across the United States to either the east or west coast before 
  being shipped overseas;

Whereas during World War II, the North Platte Canteen routinely greeted 
  and served food to between 3,000 and 5,000, and up to a maximum of 
  8,000, uniformed personnel on a daily basis for an approximate total 
  of 6,000,000 personnel from every corner of the Nation;

Whereas individuals from 125 communities in Nebraska, Colorado, and 
  Kansas donated food and volunteered at the North Platte Canteen over 
  its period of operation of approximately 5 years;

Whereas the North Platte Canteen operated strictly with volunteers from 
  local communities, organizations, churches, schools, and other groups 
  and received no Federal assistance for its operation;

Whereas the North Platte Canteen received $137,000 in cash 
  contributions from benefit dances, scrap-metal drives, school victory 
  clubs, donation cans in local businesses, and relatives of 
  servicemembers who traveled through the Canteen to help maintain the 
  Canteen's operations over its period of operation;

Whereas the North Platte Canteen during one month alone served over 
  40,000 homemade cookies, 30,000 hard-boiled eggs, nearly 7,000 cup, 
  loaf, and birthday cakes, and over 2,800 pounds of sandwich meat to 
  serve to uniformed personnel;

Whereas a typical daily shopping list might include 175 loaves of 
  bread, 100 pounds of meat, 15 pounds of cheese, 2 quarts of peanut 
  butter, 45 pounds of coffee, 40 quarts of cream, and 500 half-pint 
  bottles of milk;

Whereas the greatest contribution of the North Platte Canteen to the 
  war effort was as a morale booster and a reminder to servicemembers 
  of the American values and ideals for which they were fighting; and

Whereas the North Platte Canteen was honored and recognized by the 
  United States military with the War Department's Meritorious Wartime 
  Service Award: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress--
        (1) recognizes the outstanding efforts of the individuals and 
    communities involved with the North Platte Canteen that served the 
    needs of 6,000,000 military personnel, who traveled through North 
    Platte, Nebraska, on troop trains from December 25, 1941, to April 
    1, 1946, during World War II; and
        (2) requests that the President issue a proclamation 
    recognizing the gallant efforts of those who made enormous 
    sacrifices to make the North Platte Canteen a success during World 
    War II.
  Attest:

                                 Clerk of the House of Representatives.

  Attest:

                                               Secretary of the Senate.