tribute to everyone in North Platte who partici- pated. To greet and feed that many soldiers on short notice is remarkable. What is more remarkable is that this welcom- ing is a continuation of a long history of honor and respect from your citizens for our military personnel dating back to WWII. In Navy speak: “BRAVO ZULU” (well done) to the folks in North Platte. With gratitude and respect, It wasn’t planned this way — it really wasn’t — but it’s most appropriate that a Guard unit from Arkansas, where North Platte’s Guard company had gone to train before Pearl Harbor, benefited from this fresh outbreak of “Canteen Spirit” in the centennial year of North Platte’s World War I Canteen. Even now, this description from the August 1946 World War II Canteen celebration best de- scribes that spirit. Telegraph (special edition) | Aug. 14, 1946 The North Platte Canteen also has been termed “the greatest example of faithfulness and cooperation demonstrated during World War II, or at any time.” … In the beginning, the reasons that many people contributed to and served at the Canteen were lim- ited. The primary reason was patriotism on the part William E. Brooks III Annapolis, Maryland
of the folk who couldn’t serve on the fighting front. But collectively or individually, the workers saw the appreciation in the faces of the fellows. They saw many a homesick, lonely and scared boy break into smiles at the sight of homemade food being served by beaproned women like “mom,” or “sis,” like “my wife” or “the girl friend.” After experiencing the joy of having been in- strumental in bringing happiness to some fel- lows who were “just like son Joe and his buddies,” these women became determined to continue the Canteen. No matter how tired, they had no desire to quit. Any who served once returned to serve again and still again. … Nor was the North Platte Canteen the result of wealthy socialites seeking a method to fill in their time or rich men desiring to cut down their income taxes. The North Platte Canteen was the direct result of common working people, farmers, ranchers, house- wives and businessmen displaying their patriotism and showing appreciation to the men and women who were fighting for them. … Everyone in each of these 125 communities, men, women and children alike, gave in some way of their time, effort, money and food to support the North Platte Canteen. The result? An institution and a place that will for- ever remain in the hearts and the memories of several million men and women. No commendation made by high-ranking military officials or governmental or railroad representatives can be a higher tribute.
The North Platte Telegraph
A month later, the Wall Street Journal carried a story on North Platte’s first full-fledged Canteen revival since the Blizzard of 1949. That story, us- ing The Telegraph’s photos, was written by Bob Greene. “North Platte said yes,” he wrote. “North Platte has always said yes.” Senior Arkansas Guard leaders returned Sept. 25 to thank North Platte with words and gifts. “You guys treated them as if they had conquered Japan and Germany itself,” Col. Jon Stubbs said. And the thank-you letters, now mostly in the form of emails, flowed once more. A classmate from the U. S. Naval Academy (Class of 1969) just forwarded me an article from the Wall Street Journal dated July 23, 2018. The article describes the city’s welcoming and providing lunch for soldiers from an Arkansas National Guard Brigade heading home after a training exercise. This is an incredibly moving story and is a Telegraph | Jan. 10, 2019 To the citizens of North Platte:
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