When my wife’s father and his buddies came home from World War II in 1945, everybody was happy to see them. After a long four years, horns blared and champagne corks popped.

When he came home from Vietnam 24 years later, it was different. Anti-war protesters were behaving in the same shameful way the lunatic left protests police and immigration law enforcement today.

I was pleasantly reminded the other day that not everybody in these times has lost their minds or their American spirit.

In North Platte, Nebraska, a small town about the size of Lexington, half a continent and 1,419 miles from here, something special occurred, as reported by newspaper journalist and author Bob Greene.

“I don’t really have words to describe how surprised and moved we all were, Lt. Col. Nick Jaskolski told Greene. “I had never even heard of the town before.”

Col. Jaskolski served in the Iraq war and commands the 142nd Field Artillery Brigade of the Arkansas Army National Guard.

This summer, the 142nd conducted exercises in Wyoming, sleeping outdoors and eating field rations. A charter bus company had been hired for the 18-hour drive to take the 700 soldiers home to Arkansas.

They were to reach North Platte about lunch time. The visitors’ bureau was called. Was there anywhere in town to feed 700 soldiers and get them in and out fast?

North Platte said yes. It always says yes.

During World War II, North Platte welcomed soldiers, sailors and aviators on their way to war. Union Pacific trains made 10-minute stops in North Platte.

The townspeople made those 10 minutes count. Starting in December 1941, they met as many as 5,000 on 23 trains a day from 5 a.m. to midnight. They fed them sandwiches, played music, danced and baked birthday cakes for them. Every day of the war, they never missed a train.

They had fed 6 million soldiers by the end of the war without a penny of tax money.

Now, in 2018, 21 bus loads from Arkansas expected to stop at some fast-food joint.

“We couldn’t believe what we saw when we pulled up,” Col. Jaskolski said.

As each bus arrived over two days, the soldiers were greeted by cheering volunteers with signs of thanks at North Platte’s events center, decorated for them.

Lisa Burke of the visitors’ bureau said hundreds of people wanted to help.

To the sound of World War II music, they ate steak, ham and turkey sandwiches, deviled eggs, salad and fruit. Local church groups baked pies, brownies and cookies.

Mayor Dwight Livingston shook every soldier’s hand. He had served in Vietnam and came home to no words of thanks.

“I knew I had to be there,” he said

When it became time to settle up, the 142nd Field Artillery was told no, you’re not spending a penny here. This is on us.

This was North Platte. It could have been Lexington, Batesburg-Leesville, Chap-in, Irmo, Cayce, West Columbia, anywhere the military has to stop or needs help.

Bob Greene has written more about this in his book, “Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen.”

This is the American spirit at work.

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