I finally found something that is manufactured in the United States rather than in China.

It happened when I joined several friends during a stop at a discount store. I didn't buy anything, but rather resorted to my favorite game in such stores. I looked at where the merchandise was manufactured.

Browsing casually, I examined several items with American brand names. I found a sewing machine and a microwave oven made in China. I examined several other household machines, all made in China. And I even found knives and forks with that little "Made in China" notation in small type on the bottom of the carton.

One exciting sign caught my eye: Packages of beef jerky were labeled "Packaged in the United States." Closer examination, however, revealed that this jerky was imported from Argentina and packaged here.

And then I found it! A product with "Made in America" on the package. What was it?

Kitty litter.

I'm not making this up, although I freely admit that the store probably sold a few other items that were manufactured in the good old USA.

Some people think this doesn't matter. After all, the cheap prices are great for consumers, and overseas manufacturing helps those downtrodden people earn a living. Our employment rate is fairly low and, if an American family works two or three jobs, they can get by.

But now let me relate another recent experience, which I think is important. I read a book about World War II, as I have done many times in the past, and this book reminded me of our once-great industrial strength.

Serious World War II historians point out that, even though our nation had around 12 million men (and some women) in uniform during that war, our greatest contribution to winning that worldwide struggle was our industrial strength.

Even before the Japanese drew us into World War II by attacking Pearl Harbor, the United States was known as the "Arsenal of Democracy." Our nation's industrial might built tanks and guns, rifles and machine guns, fighter planes and bombers, and even submarines, warships and merchant marine vessels for the nations that were fighting the Axis aggressors -- Germany, Italy and Japan.

While we were still at peace, using a program known as "Lend-Lease," we were practically giving these armaments to Great Britain and Russia. This furnished crucial support for their battle against the warmongers who wanted to take over the world.

When we were attacked at Pearl Harbor, our industries really mobilized to fight the German and Japanese war machines. For four years, almost no automobiles were built. New farm machinery was scarce, and even tires and gasoline for used cars were rationed.

Instead, America manufactured world-class fighter planes such as the P-38 and the P-47, and top-notch bombers such as the Flying Fortress, the Liberator and the B-29.

We built some of the most lethal tanks and field guns that the world had seen. "Victory ships" to haul these armaments rolled off the ways on almost a daily basis.

With so many men in the service, thousands of women joined the work force. "Rosie the Riveter" became a symbol of all the women who worked in factories and were crucial to our war production.

So the key to the world's victory over the Nazis and the Japs was our industrial might. At the same time, this wartime boom pulled our nation out of the Great Depression.

How does this apply today? Well, you may have noticed that the Pentagon wants to buy military planes that were manufactured in Europe. That's one example.

We occasionally hear about U.S. manufacturers who supply the sophisticated (and extremely expensive) machines of war that currently are used by our armed services. But we don't read much about these businesses that supply our relatively small present-day armed services.

So the question remains: If we were faced with another major war, does the United States have enough industrial strength to mobilize for that war as we did from 1940 to 1945? Do we have the steel plants, the machinery, and the people to operate them as we did 60 years ago?

Or does America abound in companies that sell imported cell phones and iPods, and allow us to surf the Internet on Google and Yahoo over fiber-optic cables, and titillate the world with a plethora of TV shows and movies, and entertain the populace with myriad sporting events and the memorabilia that the average sports fan buys, and guide ourselves with a GPS system from a satellite as we search for a restaurant or a motel.

All important stuff, I'm sure. But, when you're mobilizing for a war of survival, none of it provides much protection.

Darrel Miller lives near Downs in rural Osborne County and is a retired weekly newspaper editor.