Sustaining Wings in the News

We have found the following newspaper articles telling us a bit more about the Sustaining Wings, but we still have many questions.

All are from the Clinton Herald, Clinton, IA

St. Mary's Court Donates $20 to New Depot Canteen 16 Nov 1943

During the November meeting of St. Mary's court, 443, Women's Catholic Order of Foresters, held Monday night in the Lafayette hotel, the members voted to give $20 to the Sustaining Wings depot canteen fund.

Annual Christmas party and gift exchange for the court members will be held Monday night, Dec. 13, in the hotel.

Cards followed the meeting last night with bridge honors won by Mrs. Joseph Walton and Mrs. Mary Manning and at 500 by Mrs. Andrew Buell and Mrs. William McGonegle.

Sustaining Wings Contributes to Schick Gift Fund 17 Nov 1943

Meeting in the Clinton Women's club Tuesday afternoon Sustaining Wings Air corps members held a busy session which included the voting of a cash donation to provide Christmas gifts for the soldiers at Schick hospital as planned by the camp and hospital committee for the coming holidays.

Yuletide gifts will be sent to sons of the Sustaining Wings in the armed service.  A gift exchange for the members, potluck supper and program with Mrs. G. W. Smith as program chairman, will be held Dec. 21 in the Woman's club parlors.

Mrs. Joseph Goulden, Mrs. Arthur Thoms, Mrs. A.  W. Higgins, Mrs. Albert Larsen, Mrs. P. R. Kleeberger, Mrs. Eleanor Ireland, and C. J. Robb, and Mrs. W. H. Oldham, alternate, with the four elective officers, will serve the organization as an executive council.

The nominating committee recommended that the following War Dads: Homer I. Smith, David B. Ogden and Morgan Sexton, serve as guest advisors to the council.

All pledges and cash donations for this canteen fund are to be sent to the canteen secretary, Mrs. Dorothy Simons, 342 1/2 Eighth avenue, South.

A special meeting of the council will be held at 7:30 o'clock Thursday night in the home of Mr. and Mrs. C. M. Fulrath, 220 Third avenue, South.

Guest speaker at the meeting yesterday was Dr. L. A. Gustafson, pastor of First Methodist church, who spoke on Thanksgiving, it's origin and the deep gratitude all should feel today.

Chow Time at Clinton Depot Canteen 05 May 1944

(There is a photo of several unidentified servicemen). Facial expressions of these service men give testimony to their appreciation of the depot canteen sponsored by Clinton Chapter, 255, Sustaining Wings, on the Chicago and Northwestern depot platform.  Canteen workers meet all trains, providing free sandwiches, doughnuts and coffee. Food distributed since the project started in August, 1943, is reaching carload proportions.  The shelter house was erected last winter.  This picture was featured recently in the photographic service of the Iowa Daily Press association and sent to member newspapers.

First Aid House Opens at Canteen 22 Aug 1944

Service Man From Alaska First Occupant of New Project.

First service man to use the first aid house, an addition to the Clinton depot canteen establishment of the Clinton chapter of the Sustaining Wings of Iowa at the Chicago and North Western railway station here was a young man who had traveled eight days from Nome, Alaska, under orders, and rather stay all night in the depot was allowed to sleep in the aid house and had to be awakened at 8:30 o'clock the next morning to have his breakfast at the canteen and leave on the 9:50 o'clock train.

The addition to the canteen was made possible by the cooperation of the following: Chicago and Northwestern railway and for permission to build, and Arthur D. Ladehoff, who planned and supervised the construction of same.  Kenneth Forbes of the Bennett Box Company, lumber; Eclipse Lumber Co., window and nails; Curtis Bros. Inc., door; Clinton Lock Co., lock.

Union Men Assist

The following members of Carpenters union, local 772, built the station: Fred Ashpole, Dan Duuck, Henry Evers, George Outzen and Wray O. Brown.  Painters union, local 183, members painted the structure, they were J. C. Buckman, Charles Grommon, Leo McNulty, Charles Nicholsen and George Fenchel.  Klinger Paint and Wallpaper Co. furnished the paint for the sign which was painted by Walter Hansen.

Other donations were as follows: John Holm, linoleum for floor and shelves; Mrs. Sara Fergeson, cot; Chicago and Northwestern Women's club, pad and pillow; Mrs. Joseph Benson, sheet; Milo J. John Co. drugs, supplies.

The Sustaining Wings of Iowa paid for the first month telephone bill and a Clinton citizen pays for the remainder of the year as his gift  to the service men and women who are passing through on trains and stop at the canteen for food and first aid.

(A photo very similar to the postcard photo appears with the article along with one of nurses standing.) Among the registered nurses and trained personnel who have volunteered their services at the new first aid station which has been added to the Clinton depot canteen establishment are pictured above left to right, Mrs. Elsie T. Osborne, Lyons school nurse, Miss Cathryn Wohlwend, graduate nurse, in charge of the new services, Mrs. P. C. Andresen, Mrs. Albert T. Jensen, Jr., Mrs. R. S. McComb and Mrs. Ralph Haring.

Khaki-Clad Travelers Have Reason to Remember Clinton (no date)

When the history of World War II is written, thousands of Uncle Sam's soldiers, sailors and marines probably will mentally include a paragraph in praise of the Clinton depot canteen sponsored and operated by the Sustaining Wings Air corps.

Said to be the only operation of its kind between Chicago and the Pacific coast, the canteen is serving a real need and scenes such as that pictured above (the photo shows many, many people standing near trains receiving coffee) are day-by-day routine at the North Western railway depot.  Dining car service obviously is inadequate in view of the heavy travel incident to the the war and depot facilities at the occasional stops likewise are unable to meet the demands.  As a consequence, many of those in the armed services are forced to go for 24 hours or more without food -- and to say that the Clinton depot canteen is welcome represents a definite understatement.

Sandwiches, cookies, doughnuts and coffee served already are mounting toward carload figures and at the present pace, a year's operation will produce astronomical totals.  Many local groups and organizations have come to the assistance of the Sustaining Wings Air corps and have contributed financially to aid continuance of the splendid work being accomplished by that small group.

Lyons club is sponsoring a benefit "midnite spook" show Saturday, Oct. 30, at the Lyons theater, the receipts going to the depot canteen fund.

D.A.R. New York Regent Praises Depot Canteen

"To the wonderful ladies of the Clinton, Iowa, depot canteen," was the way Mrs. William C. Allen, regent of the Major Jonathan Lawrence chapter, national society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, expressed her son's appreciation of his stop at the canteen for a free coffee and sandwiches.

In part Mrs. Allen wrote, "My son, Sgt. John M. Allen stopped at your canteen en route to Harvard, Nebr., after having been home on furlough and he wrote and told me of the splendid reception he had at the Clinton canteen.  He also sent me one of your canteen post cards on which he wrote 'these ladies at this canteen are really swell -- write them a letter of thanks mother.'

"It is very hard to tell you how mothers feel about this, but because you are doing this marvelous job -- you probably know full well what it means to us.  Keep up the good work and God Bless each and everyone.

"If I can be of service to any of your boys who happen to be stationed in the East please do not hesitate to call upon me.  Since a year before Pearl Harbor I have been devoting myself to the service of our brave boys and I have met many fine lads from Iowa and Nebraska.  Thanks again for being so kind to my boy."

Canteen Picture in C.N.W. Paper

A picture of Clinton's Canteen for service men and women, sponsored by the Sustaining Wings of Iowa at the North Western depot here, was given a prominent spot in the June issue of Timely Topics, North Western publication.

Cutlines under the picture explain that "between 1,500 and 3,500 service men are served daily at the Clinton, Iowa, Canteen, sponsored and supervised by a service mother's organization called the Sustaining Wings of Iowa.  This canteen, located at the C. & N. W. Ry. station, serves men arriving between 8 a.m. and 1 a.m.  Only one day 3,968 men were served.  Three retired railroad men, Claude Eassterly, Leslie Cook and C. A. Beamer help with the work each noon.  Miss Venita Federsen, advertising chairman; Mrs. P. A. Andresen, president; Mrs. Albert Larson, secretary and canteen buyer; Mrs. Grace Bockeloo, Mrs. Milton Walker and Cook."

Depot Canteen Makes Appeal for More Funds 12 Jan 1946

An appeal for additional funds for the depot canteen was voiced today by officials of the Clinton chapter, Sustaining Wings of Iowa, who have served sandwiches and coffee to more than 5,000 servicemen daily during the past weeks.

Because of floods west of Clinton and extreme weather, a number of trains have been late, adding to the burden at the canteen.  "Remember that the returning servicemen are just as deserving of our time and money as those who are going over. These boys have finished their job and should receive our little bit of recognition for it," one of the canteen workers said today.

Donations of cookies are also being sought by the canteen.  Home baked cookies, which round out the sandwich-coffee menu are tops with the boys who always come back for seconds, the canteen reported.

Those wishing to make cash donations may do so by contacting Mrs. Dorothy Simons, canteen financial secretary, at the Eclipse Lumber company.  Sport enthusiasts are reminded that proceeds from the tickets they purchase for The Herald's Golden Gloves boxing tournament in February go to the canteen.

Clinton Chapter of Sustaining Wings of Iowa Launches Drive 22 Feb 1946

Meeting Tuesday afternoon in the Clinton Women's club, members of the Clinton chapter of the Sustaining Wings of Iowa, discussed post-war plans for the Clinton depot canteen, which will continue to be open for at least a year, and launched a drive to secure funds to operate same.

The fund was started yesterday with a $40 donation from the Wings' treasury and a large number of the members present donated to the worthy cause.

Despite victory, millions of service men and women will be returning to their homes and these still must be fed as they make the homeward trip.  The need for funds will be acute in meeting this task and an appeal is made today for cash donations and cookies.

The following new members were accepted into membership of the chapter yesterday: Mrs. Louis Dellit, Mrs. James Wight, Mrs. Charles Carter, Mrs. Peter Schmidt, Mrs. M. C. Andresen, Mrs. I. Van Horn, Mrs. John Leu and Mrs. Edward Saddler.

Mrs. P. C. Andresen appointed Mrs. R. Ryner, Mrs. S. W. Williams and Mrs. Otto Johannsen on the nomination committee, the next meeting for nomination and election of officers to be held at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18, in the Clinton Woman's club.

For the program yesterday afternoon, the Rev. E. A. Donovan gave an inspiring talk on "World Needs."  Refreshments were served by Mrs. W. Vaughn, Mrs. Lottie Lueck and Miss Lois Fenn.

(Despite their plea for funds and their wishes to keep the canteen open, it closed at the end of March.  See: Canteen Closes)

Sustaining Wings of Iowa Meet for Dinner and Honor Mrs. Strohm June 1951

Eighteen members of the Clinton chapter of the Sustaining Wings of Iowa, sponsors of the famous depot canteen during World War II, met Thursday evening for their annual dinner in the private dining room of Al's Griddle.

Lilacs and yellow tulips decorated the table, and there was a corsage of red roses for Mrs. Frank Strohm, honorary mother of Clinton county for 1951.  A tribute to Mrs. Strohm, who is the mother of 10 children and was an active worker at the canteen, was given by Mrs. Peter C. Andresen, a past president of the wings.  Mrs. Elmer Vath sang "Wonderful Mother of Mine," with Mrs. Albert L. Larsen, Sr. as accompanist.

During the short business meeting reports and letters of thanks were read for the gifts sent to the Veterans hospital in Knoxville.  Next meeting, June 21, will be held in the home of Mrs. Lucille Walker, 414 Eleventh avenue, South, with Mrs. Sam Williams as co-hostess.  No meeting will be held in July, however, the annual family picnic is set for Thursday, Aug. 16, in Eagle Point park Rustic Lodge.