How The Hershey's Tropical Chocolate Bar Got American Troops Through WW2 In The Pacific
Before the onset of World War II, Hershey's was tasked with developing a ration bar that would help sustain soldiers at war. It only made sense that the U.S. Army's Procurement Division would go back to the confectionery company with its next request. This particular invention needed to withstand higher temperatures, provide a necessary energy boost, and taste slightly better than a boiled potato.
Chocolate bars for soldiers were intentionally made not to taste great to discourage soldiers from eating them unless they were in dire need. Made in 1943, Hershey's Tropical Chocolate Bar was no exception. The bar was made by hand and packaged in either 1-ounce or 2-ounce servings, wrapped in white and tan papers. The labels were printed with brown ink, except for the red or blue "tropical" written on the label. This certainly wasn't the only culinary invention inspired by the needs of troops, but it remains one of the most fascinating.
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The name of the chocolate bar itself was intended to reference the fact that these particular candy bars could keep their shape in hot climates. The point was to give those in the military a treat that could be stored in a pocket without losing its form and wouldn't melt while soldiers served in the Pacific Theater. Even after being placed for one hour in a climate of 120 degrees Fahrenheit, Hershey's Tropical Chocolate Bar would keep its shape. Ingredients to make the candy bar included sugar, chocolate, nonfat dry milk, cocoa, butter, vanillin -- aka artificial vanilla flavoring -- and vitamin B. Decades after the war, chocolate bars were also sent into space with astronauts aboard Apollo 15.
By the time World War II concluded, nearly 380 million 2-ounce Hershey's Tropical Chocolate Bars were made. Hershey's efforts to assist the military earned the company the honor of receiving the Army-Navy 'E' Production Award in 1942. The company was also gifted a flag that could be strung up above the Hershey chocolate factory in Pennsylvania, and employees received lapels for their service and the important role Hershey's Tropical Chocolate Bars played in supporting the troops.
Read the original article on Tasting Table.
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She told students to take risks, travel to 'places that scare and excite' them, and apply for their dream job. 'You have the power to change the world,' Cooper said, 'Whether through grand gestures or quiet moments of compassion.' Kennebunk High School graduate Cooper Thompson told students they grew not just academically, but in their ability to adapt and lead through change. He said students have seen their school evolve over the past four years, welcoming new teachers, coaches, assistant principals, and even a new principal in Tombleson this past year. Every year brought a different rhythm, new expectations, and fresh faces, he said. 'Through it all, we didn't just adjust, but we thrived,' Thompson said. 'That speaks to who we are as a class – resilient, flexible and strong.' The day's faculty speaker, history and social studies teacher Rebecca Moy, put a focus on sports as she described the passion with which she has followed the Oakland Raiders since she was a child. She said sports bring out the best in people who strive to compete. She encouraged students to pursue their passions with the same effort many athletes show in athletics. 'To love sports is to understand the value of competition in testing your personal limits and to make a stand for what you've trained for or what you believe in,' Moy said. She concluded her speech, 'This is about the sincere gratitude I have for those graduates who have allowed me to be a part of your lives and let me share the passions I have.' More: Kennebunk High School names top 10% students in Class of 2025 The day marked Kennebunk High School's 150th graduation. Tombleson, hired in August 2024, said he did not take lightly his role as one of about 20 principals who have led the school. Tombelson described the history of Kennebunk 150 years ago — how shipbuilding was in decline in Maine while tourism was on the rise. He spoke about how the first Kennebunk High School graduation might have had families in town for the graduation staying at the Ocean Bluffs Hotel on Cape Arundel, overlooking Walker's Point, 'having no idea the global significance that small spit of land would one day hold.' (It was and still is owned by the Bush family, who produced two presidents of the United States.) Tombelson said they could not have imagined the student body and its community gathering in 2025. At the time, 150 years ago, Alexander Graham Bell had only just invented the telephone. At the June 8 ceremony, students took photos with their cell phones. To build on his point about history, Tombleson asked everyone who graduated from Kennebunk High School to stand up. He then asked those who graduated before the year 2015 to remain standing, then continued to count back each decade until no more were standing. The numbers went back to the 1960s before every person was sitting, the last met with loud applause. 'Together, we can build across generations,' Tombleson said. 'Together, we can renew our hope and faith in the life that is yet to unfold.' Alexis Vetrano Lucia Collin Reigosa Shay Smithwick Tru Jarvis Melody Rousselle Lila Turley Nova Genest Megan Ames James Bertus Trudo Noah Richardson Emilie Barter Dominique Owen Willow Knowles Caroline Tabor Kathryn Manning Emilia Ilyas Logan Lefebvre Emily Dube Thomas Morin Mykyta Vykhodtsev Ella Beals William Turgeon Elijah Blanchard Collin Reetz Parker Plourde Ethan Burr Charles Majkowski Alexandros Cartwright Phoenix Williams Hank Flynn Ainsley Harden Philip Dyer William McMann Aaron Rosen Luis Roberts Jacob Ghans Ryan Clark Sarah Vargonen Alexandria White Gray Rogers Skylar Holder Emma Orendorf Katherine Orendorf Donovan Kendrick Jonas Adams Alexander Adams Benjamin Johnson Norah McLeod Sasha Altshule Taylor Giles Talia Kellum Juliann Pike Anna Fox Maximilian Prosenc Elan Keys Cooper Samson Samuel Haley Finley Knappe Mekhi Gillard Finneas Coldreck Jordann Gilpatric Eliza Herring Owen Swain Connor Therrien Riley Pelletier Novalee Page-Auger William Eagleson Amara Roberts Annabelle Welch Kylee Caron Otto Fontaine Declan McGlashan Eva Havey Kellyn Zambrano Alexis Snow Robert Pollard Isabel Esch Makena Garriepy Mikayla Kimball Kelsey Ewing Karla Hernandez-Vinajero Cindy Perez-Vinajero Eva MacDonald Summer Shea Simone Houdlette Hannah Keene Owen Snow Jacob Emmons Eric Schoener Wyatt Boulette Gabrielle D'Orso-Palmer Grace Mitchell Anna Smiley Madelyn Smith Delaney Hanson Camryn Houle Noah Hammond Andrew Johnson Owen Quitog Samuel Pietrowicz Charley Norton Ian Pentland Anthony D'Elia Kyle Barron Marcelo Pastora Caballero Bennett Webster Maya Kimball Elizabeth Torstensen Ella Pitchforth Abigail Jenannette Lorelei Ogden Maeve Noble Nicholas Vasquez Mario Real Christopher Smith Jacob Labrador Avery Rossics Elsa Liberatore Isabella Donnery Aubree Veilleux Kaden Stevens Jenna Wright Grace O'Neil Ryan Hansen Jackson Thombs Wyatt Hafer Bronwyn Parkhurst Mya Todd Tanner Wendle Ava Kane Mason Binette Meghan Taggart Nicole Axelsen Sonja Frederich Eliza Sayer Abigaile Santerre Molly McKinney Addison Carbone Cenzie Cunningham Audrey Madden Weston Church Blake Dallara Theo Pow Benjamin Urban Kellen Connor Gavin MacDonald Isaac Jensen Calvin Johnson Jack Mosser Brady Stone Jonathan Hines Cooper Thompson Cole Perkins Willard Kull Cole Seitz Aidan Lynch Max Andrews Noah Tarring Brady Holder William Camp Jasper Raymond Shane Woloszyn Ryan Cumiskey Autumn Shaw Aurora Crone Maxwell Stewart Maddox Ralls Caleb Auriema Jacob Eon This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kennebunk High grads told to take risks and 'change the world'
