Donut Dollie

The morale-boosting ‘donut dollies got their start in the trenches of World War I. Beginning in 1917, women volunteered to deploy with the Salvation Army to the battlefields of France, giving American soldiers a taste of home.

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In World War II, they volunteered for duty again.

This time, the requirements were more stringent. The Red Cross Donut Dollies had to be at least 25 years old, college graduates, and present letters of recommendation in order to be selected. They also had to have wholesome personalities, “the girl next door” type.

Once on board, they had to undergo training, enough to understand Army units, terminology, and missions. They also had to accept the standards for dress while wearing the Red Cross blue uniform: no bright nail polish or garish makeup, no earrings or hair combs, and they needed to be physically fit. Then, they were sent overseas to run the “Red Cross Clubmobiles.”

These portable lounges were outfitted with space for soldiers to relax and forget about the war, even if just for a few moments.

Besides fresh donuts, the Clubmobiles boasted magazines and newspapers, gum and cigarettes, and music. The traveling lounges were so popular it was sometimes hard to keep up with the demand—for time, space, and donuts. According to one report in 1944, over 200 women had served over 4.6 million donuts by then.

Donut Dollies reappeared in Korea; about 900 served in South Korea from 1953 to 1973. They served locally baked donuts this time, but the morale-boosting function didn’t change.

Fewer were deployed during the Vietnam conflict. From 1962 to 1973, 627 were on duty with the Red Cross, but by this time, their role was less about the donuts and more about the need to provide soldiers with a respite away from the front lines.

Their focus on recreation included ping-pong tournaments, shooting pool, and even sing-alongs. But they were also there to provide an ear, talk about home, and share some happy memories.

In every conflict, the Donut Dollies were often exposed to the dangers of the battlefield. In Vietnam, some were gassed, had to endure rocket attacks on the bases where they served, and worry about enemy snipers. While nurses were there to care for the physical wounds, the Donut Dollies were concerned with the mental health of troops—their morale and mental well-being.

One of those young women who volunteered in Vietnam was Diane Zettervall. While still in college, she was thinking about the Peace Corps but decided to serve with the Red Cross instead. She started in the spring of 1969 and later recalled that during her first night in Vietnam, she was at a recreation center when there was a loud explosion caused by a carelessly tossed cigarette. She also spent several long nights in a foxhole.

Later, Diane was with the 101st Airborne Division at their base, Camp Eagle (the 101st is known as the ‘Screaming Eagles’) There she met her future husband, Ben Thornal, a helicopter pilot. When I met Diane in March of 2024, they had been married nearly fifty-four years.

At the Donut Dollies reunion in 1993, Diane picked up a t-shirt that she thought perfectly summed up her role: “A touch of home in a combat zone. A smiling face at a bleak fire base. The illusion of calm in Vietnam.”

God bless them all for what they did to remind our soldiers they weren’t forgotten. Their service in the middle of combat zones, comforting the lonely and the lost, cannot be forgotten either.