This bill authorizes the creation of a Congressional Gold Medal to honor the volunteers and communities involved with the North Platte Canteen during World War II.
Adrian Smith
Representative
NE-3
The North Platte Canteen Congressional Gold Medal Act recognizes and honors the volunteers and donors of the North Platte Canteen in Nebraska during World War II with a Congressional Gold Medal. This medal will be presented by the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate, and then displayed at the Lincoln County Historical Museum. The Act also authorizes the creation and sale of bronze duplicates of the gold medal to cover production costs, with proceeds deposited into the Mint's Public Enterprise Fund.
Congressional Gold Medal to Honor WWII North Platte Canteen Volunteers: Recognizing a Massive Home-Front Effort
The North Platte Canteen Congressional Gold Medal Act honors the incredible volunteer effort at the North Platte Canteen, a vital morale-boosting operation during World War II. This bill, officially named in SEC. 1, authorizes the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the thousands of volunteers and communities who supported the canteen.
Feeding the Troops, Boosting Morale
From December 25, 1941, to April 1, 1946, the North Platte Canteen served roughly 6 million troops passing through on their way to war (SEC. 2). Think about that: six million. This wasn't some government-funded program. It was everyday people – 55,000 volunteers from 125 communities – coming together to provide food, coffee, and a little bit of home to soldiers far from their own (SEC. 2). Imagine being a young soldier, heading off to war, and stopping in a small town where strangers greet you with a home-cooked meal and a smile. That's what the North Platte Canteen provided, and it made a huge difference.
Home-Front Heroes
This bill recognizes that the Canteen was a massive undertaking, fueled by donations and sheer volunteer power (SEC. 2). We're talking about 40,000 homemade cookies and 4,000 loaves of bread daily (SEC. 2) – all made and served by volunteers, without any federal funding. The Canteen operated out of the Union Pacific Railroad station, serving up to 24 troop trains a day. They even received a Meritorious Wartime Service Award from the U.S. Army in 1943 (SEC. 2).
Honoring the Legacy
The Congressional Gold Medal itself will be created by the Secretary of the Treasury (SEC. 3) and ultimately displayed at the Lincoln County Historical Museum in North Platte (SEC. 3). This ensures that the story of the Canteen and its volunteers will be preserved for future generations. The bill also allows for bronze duplicates of the medal to be made and sold to the public (SEC. 4), with the proceeds going back into the U.S. Mint's Public Enterprise Fund (SEC. 6). This means the project is self-funding, using proceeds from the sale of the duplicates to cover the cost of making the medals. The medals are also officially designated as national and numismatic items (SEC. 5), giving them a specific legal status.