Jolie Lee

USA TODAY Network

National Doughnut Day, the first Friday of June, is more than a celebration of our love for the fried confectionaries. The day actually has its roots in America's war history.

During World War I, about 250 Salvation Army officers went to Europe to comfort U.S. troops. They talked to soldiers and helped them write letters home.

They also made and served doughnuts along the frontline trenches.

"They had lard and flour and sugar, and they figured out a way to make doughnuts," said Ron Busroe, Salvation Army spokesman, in an interview with USA TODAY Network.

"It brought a sense of calm and a bit of home into the chaos of war," Busroe said.

Soon the Salvation Army helpers, many of them women, became known as "doughnut girls." They reprised their duties of serving doughnuts during World War II.

The Salvation Army established the first National Doughnut Day in 1938 in Chicago, as a way to raise money for social service ministries during the Depression, Busroe said.

Since then, the day has become a national celebration of the sweet treats and the people who served them to our soldiers in battle.

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