A very personal WWII display

One of the most personal pieces we have in the World of Coca-Cola is an item from a Coca-Cola collector who has become a friend of our department.

In the World of Coca-Cola we have an exhibit on the role Coke played with U.S. soldiers during World War II. (The Company rather famously promised that every man in uniform would get a Coke for a nickel, whatever it cost the Company, and we served Coke all over the world during the war -- even sending 64 portable bottling lines overseas to do it.)

In that exhibit for WWII, we have a few of the many letters soldiers wrote home, talking about how drinking was a reminder of home and what they were missing. One of the letters we have on display is from the father of a collector -- Spencer Combs, father of Bill Combs.

This video was filmed with Bill at the World of Coca-Cola in March.

Bill let us put this letter and his dad’s photo in the display. It’s a great example of the connection between Coke and the people who love it.