A Brief Review of Bob Greene's "Once Upon a Town" by Chuck Trunks (Trunks Art)

 

Nampa, Idaho - May 11, 2026 - “Let’s make America great again” naturally implies the United States no longer possesses the qualities that once made this country a beacon of hope, prosperity, decency, and freedom. I can imagine walking into a Walmart Supercenter—this century’s version of a town square—and asking older shoppers what they miss about the America they grew up in. I doubt they would have any difficulty responding, giving me answers I’d most likely agree with. Had I come across Bob Greene, an American journalist and author of over 20 books, in front of the unmanned deli counter and asked him the same question, he’d point me in the direction of his book, Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen (2002).

Although the book was published 24 years ago, it perfectly captures a period between 1941 and 1946 in the Nebraskan town of North Platte, a small city in the middle of nowhere, situated at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers and surrounded by wide-open prairie and rolling hills. Greene’s story highlights how, for over four consecutive years, tens of thousands of volunteers from 125 nearby towns offered heartfelt care to six million soldiers, turning the North Platte train station into a sanctuary of food, music, and gratitude for troops deploying to WWII. These selfless men and women simply felt it was their duty to provide the soldiers—mostly boys right out of high school from all over the country—a 10- to 20-minute taste of home and hospitality before being shipped out to defend the nation in Europe or the South Pacific.

I found it both charming and touching how he interlaced interviews with surviving volunteers and servicemen throughout the entirety of the book, who became misty-eyed or wept as they recounted the miracle of genuine giving without strings or expectations. I, too, became emotional while reading this book, which reminded me that once upon a time, in America, a community of patriots focused on something much bigger than themselves, where empathy, common decency, and a desire for fellowship defined a Union Pacific train station in the middle of nowhere.

-Chuck Trunks

“This work was written independently by the author without the use of generative AI.”

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Trunks Art moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Nampa, Idaho, in 2025 and has made this city his home and writing inspiration.

To see more of my work, please have a look at more posts or email me at chucktrunks@gmail.com. Or, visit my website at www.trunksart.com.  Also, you can find me on Instagram (chucktrunks) and Facebook (Chuck Trunks).