[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 161 Received in Senate (RDS)]

  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 161


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 23, 2004

                                Received

_______________________________________________________________________

                         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 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.

            Passed the House of Representatives September 22, 2004.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.