(upbeat music)
- [Voiceover] Tootsie Rolls seem simple enough.
That piece of gooey chocolate wrapped
up in a perfect little bite.
But believe it or not,
these tasty treats saved the lives
of U.S. Marines in the Korean War.
- [Male Voice] So good.
- [Voiceover] In 1950, at the North Korean Chosin Reservoir,
U.S. Marine troops were engaged in battle.
The Marines were running out of ammunition,
and called for an airdrop of 60mm mortar rounds.
Code name for these bullets? Tootsie Roll.
When the supplies fell from the sky,
troops were surprised to find boxes filled
with the actual candies.
- [Male Voice] Where are the bullets?
- [Voiceover] This fluke turned out
to be a blessing in disguise.
Freezing cold temperatures had cracked vehicle fuel lines,
leaving troops stranded.
And although the candies were frozen,
they softened easily in the mouths of servicemen.
- [Male Voice] Mmm, so good.
- [Voiceover] Marines quickly realized
they could melt the candies down
to a putty and seal the broken pipes.
- [Male Voice] Good as new!
- [Voiceover] When the chocolate refroze,
they were able to drive to safety
in their newly functional vehicles.
The Marines who successfully escaped the Reservoir
admit that Tootsie Rolls had a big hand in their survival,
and they call themselves the Chosin Few.
I'd call that a pretty sweet victory.
(upbeat music)