IV 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 161
Recognizing the outstanding efforts of the individuals and communities who 
volunteered or donated items to the North Platte Canteen in North 
Platte, Nebraska, during World War II from December 25, 1941, to 
April 1, 1946. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 6, 2003
Mr. OSBORNE (for himself, Mr. BEREUTER, and Mr. TERRY) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Armed Services 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the outstanding efforts of the individuals and 
communities who volunteered or donated items to the 
North Platte Canteen in North Platte, Nebraska, during 
World War II from December 25, 1941, to April 1, 
1946.
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
•HCON 161 IH 
gifts for the troops when they arrived at the Union Pa-
cific 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 ei-
ther the east or west coast before being shipped overseas; 
Whereas during World War II, the North Platte Canteen 
greeted and served food to approximately 6,000,000 men 
and women from every State in the Union; 
Whereas individuals from 125 communities in Nebraska, Col-
orado, and Kansas donated food and volunteered at the 
North Platte Canteen over its period of operation of ap-
proximately 5 years; 
Whereas the North Platte Canteen operated strictly with vol-
unteers from local communities, organizations, churches, 
schools, and other groups and received no Federal assist-
ance 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,
•HCON 161 IH 
and relatives of servicemembers who traveled through the 
Canteen to help maintain the Canteen’s operations over 
its period of operation of approximately 5 years; 
Whereas the North Platte Canteen served each month about 
40,000 homemade cookies, 30,000 hard-boiled eggs, 
6,500 doughnuts, 4,000 loaves of bread, 3,000 pounds of 
meat, 450 pounds of cheese, 60 quarts of peanut butter, 
1,350 pounds of coffee, 1,200 quarts of cream, 750 dozen 
rolls, and 600 birthday cakes; and 
Whereas the North Platte Canteen was honored by the 
United States military with the War Department’s Meri-
torious 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 in-
dividuals 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 procla-
mation recognizing the gallant efforts of those who 
made enormous sacrifices to make the North Platte 
Canteen a success during World War II.
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