Telegraph | July 7, 1945 Received at the North Platte Canteen today was a clipping from the Chicago Times, in which columnist Herb Graffis cites the North Platte Canteen as evidence that Americans at home are still conducting themselves in awareness that a killing war continues … “The good Americans are always trying to do more,” Graffis says. “There’s news in what a young submarine officer told me about what happened at North Platte, Neb., the other day when the train that was bringing him home from the Pacific stopped. “The fellow, in a lush Dixieland accent, said: ‘When you’re hungry and you don’t want to run all over hell when the train stops for a few minutes, the folks meet you at North Platte with sandwich- es, pie and coffee and all the milk you want. Even with birthday cakes, when you show your ID card that proves it’s your birthday. “‘Nicest thing I ever saw. Different folks spon- sor it each day. I’ve got a card here of Mr. and Mrs. E.G. Mattson, who were the sponsors when I went through. I want to write and thank them. “‘One kid had a leg shot off. The minute he started hopping around on the platform, three girls, each of them prettier than a steamboat painted red, ran up to him and took care of him. The guy just ate it up. “‘They’re sure grand folks in that town!’” And that, it seems, is how news of the Canteen, supported by western Nebraska and Colorado folks, gets around.
The Daily Bulletin’s April 25 “Prowler” column had reported a challenge among Callaway residents to raise and supply 200 fried chickens for their next Canteen day July 10. When they showed up to make good, KODY’s Canteen broadcasts had spread the word. Telegraph | July 12, 1945 A sailor, a soldier and their wives walked into the North Platte Canteen Tuesday morning and laughingly “demanded” some fried chicken. “And don’t tell me you don’t have any,” they grinned. Forty-five Callaway Canteen workers stared in amazement. “How did you folks know we had fried chicken today?” one of them finally asked. The sailor proceeded to explain. “We’re driving through on the way back to camp,” he said. “Just a
The eagerness in this Canteen customer’s face was duplicated some 6 million times over 51 months.
Other donations they brought included 64 candy bars, 20 packages of gum, 11 quarts of salad dressing, four quarts of pickles, eight pounds of butter and magazines. Mr. and Mrs. Mattson’s son, T-5 Marvyn L. Mattson, has been in the army signal corps for three years and overseas two years. Though he has never once had a furlough, the Mattsons are thankful that he escaped without injury. “That is one of the reasons we are doing this for the servicemen today,” Mrs. Mattson said. “And it’s nothing to what they are doing for us,” she added. With Mr. and Mrs. Mattson are 23 of their neighbors of Holyoke, who came to North Platte to help them serve the servicemen and women go- ing through today.
Seeing uniforms from multiple branches of the U.S. military was routine at the Canteen. Allied nations’ service members showed up frequently, too.
Less than a week later, the Mattsons’ generosity received notice in a Chicago newspaper.
100 CANTEEN: AS IT HAPPENED
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