[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 78 (Friday, May 23, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S7160]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 47--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

  Mr. HAGEL (for himself and Mr. Nelson of Nebraska) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
the Judiciary:

                            S. Con. Res. 47

       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 with food and other gifts for the troops when the 
     train arrived at the Union Pacific train station on December 
     17, 1941;
       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 to her 
     community the idea of establishing the North Platte Canteen 
     so that residents could greet every troop train that traveled 
     through North Platte and provide the military troops en route 
     to serving their country in World War II with comforts from 
     home;
       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 during the approximately 5-year period 
     in which it operated;
       Whereas the North Platte Canteen operated strictly with 
     volunteers from local communities, organizations, churches, 
     schools, and other groups, and without any Federal 
     assistance;
       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 for about 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 Army with the presentation of the Meritorious Wartime 
     Service Award by the Secretary of War: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) recognizes the outstanding efforts of the individuals 
     and communities involved with the North Platte Canteen to 
     dispense food and good cheer to the approximately 6,000,000 
     members of the United States Armed Forces who traveled on 
     troop trains through North Platte, Nebraska, from December 
     25, 1941, through April 1, 1946, during World War II; and
       (2) requests the President to issue a proclamation 
     recognizing the heroic efforts of those patriotic Americans 
     who made enormous sacrifices to make the North Platte Canteen 
     a successful expression of the warmth and caring of home for 
     soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines of our Nation making 
     their way to war.

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