“Carried in the pocket, these chocolate bars offer real nourishment and prevent loss of energy to the soldier who suddenly finds himself ‘on his own.’” Portsmouth Herald, August 26, 1942

If ever there was a reason for Americans to honor chocolate, it’s the chocolate bar’s service to our nation. Soldiers relied on chocolate for nourishment and comfort. Chocolate first appeared in rations in the First World War when the military recognized the value of “count line” chocolate. These types of chocolates, which we now refer to as “chocolate bars,” were not weighed and sold by the pound, but sold by the pieces. There were many advantages to the count line candy bars: the distinctly substantial chocolates were meant to satisfy hunger, rather than the thinner variety, which was made to satisfy taste. Also, the chocolate coating on the bars preserved and held the contents inside, much like an edible protective wrapper.

For the military, this meant added nutrients and calories. For candy bar makers, it meant the opportunity to fill their expensive chocolate with deliciously

cheaper fillers, such as caramel, peanuts, and marshmallow: all relatively new, post-Civil War ingredients the consumer loved. The first American-made count line bar, or “combination candy bar” in the parlance of the consumer, was the Goo Goo Cluster. First made in 1912 in Nashville Tennessee, it is often referred to as a “mound chocolate-covered marshmallow, caramel and nuts.”

There were plenty of other reasons to give service men and women chocolate and other candy. An important one was discussed in a 1918 article filed from Camp Lewis, Washington. It said:

“That the government recognizes the usefulness in the diet of soldiers is shown in the immense order for $200,000 worth of candy which has just been placed for the men at Camp Lewis…It is the largest candy order ever placed in the Northwest and probably the largest yet authorized by the government for the soldiers…"

“This war has done more than anything else to demonstrate that candy is of tremendous food value. A soldier after a hard day’s work needs candy; his system craves it. Likewise, shipyard workers, loggers, men and women doing all kinds of heavy work, crave candy because it supplies the need for something sweet to supply bodily fuel…"

“…The candy which is being made today is being manufactured with the sugar that is being authorized for this purpose by the food administration.”

There were different kinds of rations, trench rations, emergency rations and so on, depending on the whereabouts of the soldiers eating them. Some contained chocolate bars, others didn’t. After the War, when the Quartermaster General asked veterans what would improve their mealtime experience, they recommended chocolate bars for everyone. Believing candy boasted morale and energy, the military agreed, and candy has been military fare ever since.