War Reenactment Features Salvation Army "Dougnut Girls"

Would a war reenactment be complete without Salvation Army Doughnut Girls serving free coffee and doughnuts on the frontlines?

People at Living Military History Day in LeCenter, Minn., didn’t think so. The May 31 event featured mock battles of World Wars I and II, complete with bomb-dropping planes, paratroopers, tanks and field artillery, plus women who quietly served coffee and doughnuts on the frontlines – Doughnut Girls.

“The re-enactors thanked us over and over again about what a nice touch we put on the reenactment,” said Jan Karasch, one of two Doughnut Girl actors at the event. “Several said we made the reenactment complete.”

Doughnut Girls began serving in World War I. Their first doughnuts, made in 1917, were fried seven at a time in a pan over a low, pot-bellied stove. The tempting fragrance of frying doughnuts drew homesick soldiers to Salvation Army huts, located near the frontlines of battle. Word got around: “If you're hungry and broke, you can get something to eat at The Salvation Army.”

The recreated battles took place at Traxler’s Hunting Preserve, an 850-acre facility in southeastern Minnesota. More than 1,300 people attended.

“One vet walked up to us with tears in his eyes and said, ‘I haven’t had a sinker (doughnut) since World War II,’” Karasch said. “Kids and adults of all ages really did soak up all of the information about the Doughnut Girls and about The Salvation Army. Some people were even trying to give us donations.”

The legacy of wartime Salvation Army lassies is being carried on with a new brand of coffee called Doughnut Girl. To learn more, visit www.doughnutgirl.net.