Foreword
In
the years that have passed since the last edition of this booklet was printed,
remarkable events involving the North Platte Canteen have continued to unfurl.
These Occurrences assure that what took place in a railroad station in Nebraska
in the I 940s will continue to serve as example of what’s best about America.
They also show how Americans today. as much as ever, still want to aspire to the
same ideals of patriotism. The North Platte Canteen has rightfully become a gold
standard for the expression of gratitude to those who serve the cause of
preserving freedom.
This writer is appreciative of the compliments paid to him by others who have used this booklet as a source of inspiration for their own creative works that have greatly enlarged upon the subject matter. Foremost was the publication in 2002 of Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen by then Chicago Tribune columnist Bob Greene. This New York Times bestseller created a nationwide stir as to what had transpired at North Platte. As a result, a variety of grassroots activities such as stage plays, concerts and musicals -- all based on the canteen's primary story of honoring service personnel have been performed from coast to coast. At least two major network television features on the canteen were produced, followed in 2004 by a Nebraska Educational Television documentary called The Canteen Spirit. (This documentary has subsequently been broadcast nationwide on PBS stations.)
The North Platte community of today has otherwise continued to take its heritage to heart invoking the "Canteen Spirit" in such matters as local donation and charity drives, and by showing hospitality to visiting detachments of National Guard units. Funds were raised to enhance a canteen history exhibit at the Lincoln County Museum, while a local restaurant utilized a canteen theme in its decor.
Tributes have gone so as far as the U.S. Congress approving a resolution in 2004 that recognized the communities and volunteers of the North Platte Canteen for their efforts in supplying home front morale. However, perhaps more meaningful to North Platte has been the continuance of correspondence and personal visits from veterans nationwide who experienced the canteen firsthand and who still want to express their appreciation for that 10-minute stop of 60-plus years ago.
A time will ultimately come when such World War II events as Pearl Harbor, D-Day and Iwo Jima will seem as historically distant as the Civil War battle of Gettysburg seems now. But as long as one person knows -- and marvels at -- how citizens of the heartland once responded to a call to give comfort to those who served their country, then the North Platte Canteen will forever stand in memoriam.
James J. Reisdorff
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