[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 161 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 161

Recognizing the outstanding efforts of the individuals and communities 
 who volunteered or donated items to the North Platte Canteen in North 
Platte, Nebraska, during World War II from December 25, 1941, to April 
                                1, 1946.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 6, 2003

 Mr. Osborne (for himself, Mr. Bereuter, and Mr. Terry) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                             Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing the outstanding efforts of the individuals and communities 
 who volunteered or donated items to the North Platte Canteen in North 
Platte, Nebraska, during World War II from December 25, 1941, to April 
                                1, 1946.

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 greeted and served food to 
        approximately 6,000,000 men and women from every State in the Union;
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 of approximately 5 years;
Whereas the North Platte Canteen served each month about 40,000 homemade 
        cookies, 30,000 hard-boiled eggs, 6,500 doughnuts, 4,000 loaves of 
        bread, 3,000 pounds of meat, 450 pounds of cheese, 60 quarts of peanut 
        butter, 1,350 pounds of coffee, 1,200 quarts of cream, 750 dozen rolls, 
        and 600 birthday cakes; and
Whereas the North Platte Canteen was honored 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.
                                 <all>