about a dozen North Platte women opened the first service at the tiny switchman’s shanty under the viaduct. That day, five troop trains passed thru the city and fruit was distributed to each train. Monday, the Canteen will observe its third birthday, and what a service they have performed. More than 3,000,000 troops have been welcomed at the center. Nearly 12,000 letters have been received in appreciation of the hospitality shown, plus countless numbers of letters to newspapers, radio and city officials. Like the small acorn, it “grew and grew and grew.”Today the Canteen will serve between 3,000 and 5,000 servicemen and women passing through North Platte. It will be a gala day as upwards to 5,000 gifts are distributed to those away from home in the service of their country. No longer is it an enterprise of a small group of a dozen tireless women. The Honor Roll at the institution now carries 87 names of towns and communities which have combined to make the Canteen the outstanding center it is. Friends from all over the world have sent aid to them: clubs, churches and organizations of every type have helped with the work from far and near. … From a few dollars worth of fruit distributed some three years ago, the Canteen now averages more than $150 daily in expenditures for supplies, in addition to enormous amounts of donations each day from everywhere.
From those five troop trains of Christmas three years ago, the workers now tend upwards of 25 and 30 trains daily. They are able to accommodate several hundred visitors in a matter of ten minutes … the Canteen has made it possible for an average of 15 boys to have a birthday cake for their birth- day. … From the more than three million G.I. Joes and Janes who have heard the familiar “Welcome, mis- ter, to the North Platte Canteen” comes the deep- est appreciation and greetings for the Christmas season and best wishes for a happy holiday. It indeed was another joyful Christmas at the Canteen, featuring the news that the Allies had broken the German siege of Bastogne — dooming Hitler’s last bid to stave off disaster — the same day that these post-Christmas Canteen articles were published. Telegraph | Dec. 26, 1944 Santa Claus is still at the Canteen today, some- times in the person of a sailor, and sometimes he’s a buck private. … Gifts on Christmas Day were piled on the table where the servicemen and women could help themselves. The picked up presents in both hands and, laughing and surprised, shook them, smelled them and felt of them until they were able to decide which present they wanted to keep. The ser- vice personnel were happy and appreciative as they thanked the officers of the day and commented
on the large tree and the Christmas decorations. Many of the women serving at the tables and as officers of the day have boys of their own in the armed forces and were only glad they were able to lend to the happiness of other women’s sons, husbands and brothers. Hospital trains have not been neglected, and all casualties and those in charge of the trains were presented with gifts. Daily Bulletin | Dec. 26, 1944 It was a merry Christmas at the North Platte Canteen over the holiday weekend. Late Saturday night the workers began passing out gifts to all servicemen and women visiting the center and several thousand packages were distributed. By noon yesterday there had been a few calls from local people who wanted servicemen to spend Christmas with them at their homes, and extra places at the table were set for any who had failed to have a holiday dinner for any reason. … About one o’clock, the workers paused long enough to have their own dinner, and an hour later the afternoon trains began to arrive. The depot itself was almost deserted in comparison with the pre-holiday activity, but not the Canteen. … There was plenty of everything, and everyone knew it was Christmas.
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