How Tootsie Rolls Saved the U.S. Marines

        Let’s go back to the year 1950 when U.S. Marines were battling Chinese forces during the Korean War. Fighting took place at the Chosin Mountain Reservoir, where temperatures could drop to -36 degrees Fahrenheit (-38 degrees Celsius). In the heat of the battle, the troops suddenly ran out of ammo. Okay…that's not very good. Luckily, it’s not a big deal because they can just call for more. Soldiers radioed for 60mm mortar ammo, which was code-named Tootsie Rolls. However, the operator did not have his code sheet and had no clue why troops were asking for chewy candy in the middle of a battle. He was confused but he delivered them a giant pallet of Tootsie Rolls anyway. Now the soldiers have a giant crate of candy and still no mortar ammo. Well, that's pretty bad…or is it? The thing is, the Tootsie rolls gave troops much-needed energy to fight in the sub-zero temperatures. Additionally, Soldiers figured out that when they sucked on the candy, they could melt it into this sticky putty-like substance. They could use this chewed-up candy to fix their machinery by plugging up bullet holes and then wait for the frigid temperatures to freeze the holes shut. This allowed the Marines to successfully retreat and those who survived were named “The Chosin Few.” Source: https://usmc-mccs.org/articles/how-tootsie-rolls-accidentally-saved-marines-during-war/#:~:text=They%20also%20learned%20they%20could,thousands%20of%20severe%20frostbite%20cases.