Serv-a-Son Chocolate Bar

[Abby Brown] Brooklyn, Iowa, is called the community of flags. Why? Well, where else would you see rows and rows of flags from every state in our country and beyond; including an enormous American flag? Very cool, right? Turns out this town has an incredible patriotic history.

(Map marking Poweshiek County in the west–central part of the state.)

Have you ever seen this legendary photograph? It's from World War II. Six marines raised a flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The picture became known worldwide and turned into a symbol of U.S. military strength.

Here in Brooklyn, Iowa, there's a statue paying tribute to one of those six soldiers who raised that flag. His name was Harold "Pie" Keller, and he was born here, in Brooklyn, Iowa. But there's an even sweeter World War II story to tell.

(Bugles and snare drums playing a military march.)

During World War II soldiers were fighting far away from home. Imagine what their moms were thinking; they must have been so worried. But moms are superheroes, so they wrote their sons letters to cheer them up!

Marie Krieger Schulte had an even better idea. She knew that sugar sweet treats were not easily available to soldiers, so she decided to make candy bars to send to them; in her own kitchen, using her own recipe.

She called them Serv-a-Son and even designed her own candy bar wrapper.

(A blue and red striped wrapper with yellow stars with Serv-a-Son in the center of the wrapper.)

There was a paper shortage during the war too, so the wrappers were made of a material called glassine; which is made totally of wood pulp. Marie put a prayer on the edge of every wrapper, something each soldier could read and know that someone at home was thinking of him.

The candy bars were a huge success! Moms of soldiers in the area helped Marie get the word out. People could buy four Serv-a-Son candy bars for 25 cents, and that included shipping to a soldier serving in the war.

Soldiers who received the candy bars wrote back their thanks. One letter said, "I'm out here in a foxhole alone with fire blasting above and all looks pretty dark. Then I read my wrapper and all looks brighter.”

Marie's Serv-a-Son candy bars from World War II were recently recreated for a celebration here in Brooklyn, Iowa. How cool is that?

Every county in Iowa has a sweet story to tell. Thanks for exploring Poweshiek County with me.

Funding for FIND Iowa has been provided by The Coons Foundation, Pella and the Gilchrist Foundation