[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 161 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
H.Con.Res.161
Agreed to September 27, 2004
One Hundred Eighth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
the twentieth day of January, two thousand and four
Concurrent Resolution
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 on
December 17, 1941, with food and other gifts for the troops when they
arrived at the Union Pacific train station;
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 establishing the North
Platte Canteen to the North Platte community so residents would greet
every troop train that traveled through North Platte and provide the
military troops with comforts from home on their way to serve their
country during World War II;
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 routinely greeted
and served food to between 3,000 and 5,000, and up to a maximum of
8,000, uniformed personnel on a daily basis for an approximate total
of 6,000,000 personnel from every corner of the Nation;
Whereas individuals from 125 communities in Nebraska, Colorado, and
Kansas donated food and volunteered at the North Platte Canteen over
its period of operation of approximately 5 years;
Whereas the North Platte Canteen operated strictly with volunteers from
local communities, organizations, churches, schools, and other groups
and received no Federal assistance for its operation;
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 over its period of operation;
Whereas the North Platte Canteen during one month alone served over
40,000 homemade cookies, 30,000 hard-boiled eggs, nearly 7,000 cup,
loaf, and birthday cakes, and over 2,800 pounds of sandwich meat to
serve to uniformed personnel;
Whereas a typical daily shopping list might include 175 loaves of
bread, 100 pounds of meat, 15 pounds of cheese, 2 quarts of peanut
butter, 45 pounds of coffee, 40 quarts of cream, and 500 half-pint
bottles of milk;
Whereas the greatest contribution of the North Platte Canteen to the
war effort was as a morale booster and a reminder to servicemembers
of the American values and ideals for which they were fighting; and
Whereas the North Platte Canteen was honored and recognized by the
United States military with the War Department's Meritorious Wartime
Service Award: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That the Congress--
(1) recognizes the outstanding efforts of the individuals and
communities involved with the North Platte Canteen that served the
needs of 6,000,000 military personnel, who traveled through North
Platte, Nebraska, on troop trains from December 25, 1941, to April
1, 1946, during World War II; and
(2) requests that the President issue a proclamation
recognizing the gallant efforts of those who made enormous
sacrifices to make the North Platte Canteen a success during World
War II.
Attest:
Clerk of the House of Representatives.
Attest:
Secretary of the Senate.