[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 67 (Thursday, April 16, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1816-S1817]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          North Platte Canteen

  Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, earlier this month, on April 1, 2026, we 
marked the 80th anniversary of the end of the North Platte Canteen. 
Now, Nebraskans know this story, and today I rise to make sure that the 
U.S. Senate knows it as well.
  During World War II, a small town in West Central Nebraska became 
famous all across the country. In 1941, a few local women began 
bringing desserts to the soldiers who were stopping at North Platte's 
train station, and that simple act of kindness grew into a waiting room 
that was filled with sandwiches and coffee and cakes, all donated by 
volunteers from surrounding communities.
  From Christmas Day 1941 to April of 1946, these Nebraskans met every 
single train that came through with food and with friendship. Each day, 
up to 32 trains rolled in, carrying thousands of uniformed 
servicemembers. As the war raged on, support poured in from communities 
across that region of my State. In just 1 month, the canteen received 
around 40,000 cookies, 30,000 hard-boiled eggs, 6,900 birthday cakes, 
and 28 pounds of sandwich meat.
  Over the course of the war, more than 6 million soldiers passed 
through this canteen. The people of North Platte gave encouragement to 
our country's bravest, providing warmth and kindness to those headed to 
the frontlines during one of the darkest periods in modern history. 
They gave our soldiers a small but meaningful taste of home and of 
hope. I like to call it the origin of the saying ``Nebraska Nice.''
  The Lincoln County Historical Museum has preserved this history for 
decades, including letters written by soldiers who passed through that 
station. These letters speak for themselves. Allow me to share two.
  One soldier, who was writing from Fort Warren in Cheyenne, reached 
out to a young woman named Virginia Schlueter after meeting her at the 
station. He reminded her of who he was by recalling that he and his 
fellow Ohioans had borrowed her lipstick to write down her address, and 
he noted that in 1,400 miles of travel, North Platte was the only town 
that had done a single thing for them.
  Another soldier, Lyle Parks of Bay City, MI, wrote that most of the 
journey had been over flat, flat country, broken only by that one stop 
in North Platte. The town may not be large, he said, but the people 
there had big hearts and what they were doing was making a real 
difference for the morale of the men.
  Those words were written by men on their way to war who were inspired 
by a small Nebraska town that simply decided to show up.
  The North Platte Canteen was a remarkable volunteer effort. More than 
55,000 people, nearly all of them women, kept it running, and those 
volunteers raised over $137,000. That is worth more than $2 million 
today. I am proud to say that one of those women was my mom, Florence 
Strobel. She was a new teacher. She moved from Lincoln to North Platte 
to teach kindergarten during the fall of 1944. She hadn't graduated yet 
from Teachers College at the University of Nebraska, but the dean of 
the college came up to her and said: North Platte needs a kindergarten 
teacher, Florence, so you better go. So she went out, and she proudly 
served among those canteen volunteers.
  She would tell us wonderful stories of her time there greeting ``the 
boys'' on the troop trains and the wonderful volunteers that she met at 
the station. Her stories are part of why I am standing here today.
  In honor of all of those 55,000 volunteers, I introduced the North 
Platte Canteen Congressional Gold Medal Act, and this bill would award 
a collective Congressional Gold Medal to every individual and community 
who volunteered at or donated to the canteen. This is the highest honor 
that Congress can bestow upon civilians. I am proud to have 53 
cosponsors, and I ask my colleagues to join us as we work toward that 
67 number that is needed for passage.
  Eighty years later, the North Platte Canteen still speaks of 
something essential about who we are as Americans--no fanfare, no 
orders, just neighbors deciding that the men and women that were 
heading out to war deserved a warm meal, a kind word, and a piece of 
home.
  I ask my colleagues to help us give these volunteers the place in 
American history that they have long deserved.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the quorum 
call be suspended.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Husted). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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