Once Upon a Town CD : The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen

Rating:
Summary: A Town Lost in Time?
Review: Bob Greene is a gifted writer who wrote a great book about a remarkable town that did extraordinary things in some of the most trying times in our nation's history. The miracle of the North Platte Canteen is a story about little-known wartime heroics, filled with many first-hand personal accounts and recollections from some of our diminishing remaining national treasures-our WWII veterans. This book should be read by all, especially those not old enough to have experienced WWII America.

This book describes and explains Greene's love affair with the North Platte, Nebraska railroad canteen and the people whose lives were positively influenced by what happened there between Christmas Day, 1941 and April 1, 1946. The residents of that small town, and neighboring towns, took it upon themselves to provide food, love, and support to the millions of servicemen riding in the endless, cramped WWII troop transport trains that stopped briefly in North Platte.

Greene captured the volunteer canteen workers' incredible spirit of selfless sacrifice, and the everlasting gratitude of the mostly drafted young men who briefly stopped at North Platte on their way to war. Although most stops lasted maybe ten minutes, their memories of their canteen experiences have lasted all their lives.

As Greene noted, "He started to cry softly in mid-sentence. I would have attributed it to the stress of being about to go into surgery, except that it was happening regularly when I spoke with the men who had come through North Platte on the trains. The volunteers from the canteen, while emotional, usually remained composed. But the soldiers they had welcomed...as often as not, they would weep at some point during our conversations as they recalled the experience." The memory of any place that brings tears to the eyes of men who have seen and experienced combat is a very special memory of a very special place.

The story of the North Platte Canteen is a story of a long ago and largely forgotten America when times were slower and people seemed more morally balanced and values-centered. However, according to a January 31, 2003 "Washington Times" article, the staff at a North Platte motel revived the canteen tradition by providing a friendly dinner "with a bit of hospitality for dessert" for over 500 North Dakota National Guard troops who stopped there after a long day on the road on their way to the Persian Gulf in preparation for war with Iraq.

Read this book and learn all about this very special tradition.

Rating:
Summary: A Gem: History + Heart
Review: Don't be mis-led by the brown-on-brown cover and the uninformative title. This book is a small gem -- a rare combination of heart-warming story and solid history.

North Platte, Nebraska, is truly middle-of-nowhere. In the 1940's, however, thousands of people came through North Platte on cross-country trains. And during World War II, more than six million GI's came through North Platte on troop trains.

And here's the miracle.During the war, this tiny town transformed its modest depot into a canteen for soldiers, sailors and airmen passing through on the trains. With no government aid (President Roosevelt sent five dollars), people from the town met every train with baskets of home-made food, farm produce, good coffee and milk. They were "on duty" 24/7, as we would say today.

Train movements were supposed to be secret, but after awhile the railroad staff would spread the word. GI's, mostly teenagers dazed by their new world, remembered North Platte for the rest of their lives. Of course, most of the servers were women, and that was a gentler time. One local group made popcorn balls, with tiny pieces of paper holding names of local girls who could write to the men. Many friendships and at least one marriage resulted.

North Platte was a small miracle. The town became a legend among servicemen overseas. And it was truly a miracle born of its own time. It couldn't happen now, one of the aging residents said. Nowadays everyone would stay home and watch the war on television.
World War II buffs, admirers of Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation, and nostalgia fans would welcome this book as a holiday gift.

Rating:
Summary: Uplifting
Review: This story ranks as one of my favorite reads of this year. It is the touching story of how the author, Bob Greene visited North Platte to research and discover the history, truth and story of the North Platte Canteen. The narrative is filled with his own questions, reflections and details of this journey and the people in whom lives he crossed. So it's sort of two stories, his own, and the story of the Canteen. The Canteen was an ongoing service effort during WWII. A towns' attempt to feed and deliver warmth and friendsip to the wartime troops traveling through North Platte, Nebraska during those war years.

Since our family are regular volunteers for our communties' soup kitchen, (I'm in charge of the meal when it's our turn), the logistics of how they made this work, interested and humbled me. It makes my own efforts seem small.

Bob Greene asks some tough to answer questions here- Could any town do this again? How are our communties different now? Are they better as far as reaching out to one another, or are we becoming indifferent? What are the consequences to that? Some of these questions might seem in the way if you're merely interested in the stories of the soldiers who passed through. Or the many volunteers who sacrificed food, labor, and time in wartime when all of those things were in short supply. It is important that we note that this town pulled this off WITHOUT goverment support. Amazing since we now live in a time when we EXPECT support or hassle stores about donations for civic and school projects. KUDOS to the town of North Platte and Mr Greene.