About Forty and Eight
Preamble
For God and country we associate
ourselves together for the following purposes: To create a
charitable and non-profit veterans organization; to uphold and
defend the constitution of the United States of America; to assist
and promote the welfare and well being of those who served in the Armed
Forces of the United States during all wars and conflicts, recognized by
the Congress of the United States, and their widows and orphans;
to participate in all memorial services for and to be present at the
funerals of departed comrades; to take part in and encourage others to
participate in the proper observance of all days honoring veterans;
to preserve the memories of our Service in the Armed Forces of our
Country; to actively participate within our membership in projects
relating to (a) the welfare of the children of America; (b) the
health of our Nation by fostering a nurses training program; and
(c) selected charitable endeavors
History Highlights of the
Forty & Eight
1920
In March of 1920, Joseph W. Breen, a
member of the newly formed American Legion and an officer of
Breen-McCracken Legion Post 297, met in Philadelphia with fifteen other
prominent Legionnaires where they originated the idea of The Forty &
Eight. They envisioned a new and different level of elite
membership and camaraderie for leaders of the American Legion. The
box car of the French Railways, so familiar to American ground troops of
the First World War, was chosen as the symbolic heart of the new
organization. The French/Railroad theme was applied to officer
titles and organizational functions.
The organization was named La
Societe des Quarente Hommes et Huit Chevaux (the Society of Forty Men
and Eight Horses). Its members were called Voyageurs Militaire
(military travelers) and candidates for membership were called
Prisonniers de Guerre (Prisoners of War). The “40/8” cargo
capacity sign emblazoned on each French boxcar that had carried American
doughboys to the front, and also the "French horizon blue" color, became
symbols of the new society. An initiation ceremony was developed
based on the common wartime experiences of American soldiers, sailors
and marines, incorporating fun making with patriotic bonding.
The first statewide Forty & Eight
Promenade (meeting) was held in June, 1920, following the 2nd Annual
Convention of the American Legion’s Department of Pennsylvania. Several
prominent Legionnaires were wrecked (initiated) and Joseph W. Breen was
unanimously elected Chef de Chemin de Fer (President of the Railroad).
The new Forty & Eight organization
agreed to send a delegation to the Legion’s national convention in
Cleveland, Ohio, with as much fanfare as possible in order to introduce
the Forty & Eight to the nation and to other Legionnaires. A railroad
box car was rented and in it the Forty & Eight delegation rode the rails
to the Cleveland Legion convention. This publicity stunt gained
substantial news coverage for the energetic new elite organization.
In Cleveland more than 700 Legionnaires became members of the Forty &
Eight.
1921
During the Forty & Eight’s Promenade
Nationale (national convention) in Kansas City, a national constitution
was adopted and a national headquarters was established in Seattle,
Washington.
1922
During the Promenade Nationale in New Orleans, a Children’s Welfare
project was established, with monies to be raised via an annual
assessment of 50 cents from dues collections, to be used for the care of
orphaned children.
1923
The National Headquarters of the Forty & Eight was moved to
Indianapolis. The Forty & Eight was integrated as an equal partner
with The American Legion and The American Legion Auxiliary, all with
common interests in Child Welfare. Forty & Eight Child Welfare Program
funds ($24,823.91) were safely invested to grow to meet future needs. A
joint policy committee of members from all three organizations was
established.
1925
During the 6th Promenade Nationale, in Omaha, Nebraska, $25,000.00 was
set aside to establish a Child Welfare Fund. (This was a precursor to
today’s Charles Ardery Child Welfare Trust).
1926
At Promenade Nationale in Philadelphia, Forty & Eight membership was
reported to be 32,449.
A major focus of discussion was the
growth of American Legion membership, which had previously been
declining annually since the Legion’s inception. Much of the
Legion’s new growth was attributed to extraordinary recruiting efforts
by Forty & Eight’s Voyageurs who had brought in more than 17,000 new
members for the American Legion. Voyageur William Mundt of Voiture 24,
Bloomington, Illinois, was recognized for having signed up 509 new
Legion members.
1928
Forty & Eight programs expanded in concert with The American Legion.
Membership, Child Welfare, Junior Baseball, Americanism and Emergency
Relief became key Forty & Eight programs. Annual donations
continued to the Child Welfare Fund, with $18,960 earmarked for 1928.
Additionally, Voiture Locales devised their own charitable programs,
such as Voiture 220 of Chicago sponsoring a youth summer camp.
During the depression years, the Forty
& Eight and The American Legion grew steadily. Forty & Eight Voyageurs
enrolled 27,000 new members in the Legion during 1928-1929, and were
instrumental in helping The American Legion to pass the one million
members mark.
1932
The Forty & Eight declared War on Childhood Diphtheria.
Vaccination toxin was distributed via Voiture Nationale to children
whose parents could not afford it. Physicians donated their services,
and educational campaigns were carried out to combat the disease.
From 1932 through 1936, the Forty &
Eight sought to influence Congress regarding veteran's benefits. These
were the “Bonus March” Depression years when WWI veterans and the
federal government were at times in open conflict. The Forty &
Eight sponsored national radio programs, featuring well know political
figures, to bring equitable treatment of war veterans to the national
forefront. Realizing that power came with numbers, the Forty & Eight
brought in 111,159 new American Legion members. The efforts of the
Forty & Eight ultimately helped convince Congress to pass, over a
presidential veto, the compensation act for America’s war veterans.
1936
The 17th Promenade Nationale was held in Cleveland with a huge parade
lasting nearly three hours. Membership reached 34,809.
1938
The Forty & Eight began sponsoring Boys State in 20 states. Charitable
efforts increased as Voitures provided iron lungs, sponsored
anti-juvenile delinquency programs, and supported Legion Baseball and
Scouting. Many Legion leaders are members of the Forty & Eight.
1941
During the Second World War, the Forty & Eight rolled up its sleeves.
While continuing to support its existing charitable and patriotic
programs, the Forty & Eight expanded its efforts to meet wartime needs.
Individual Forty & Eight members volunteered for military service,
served as air raid wardens and in other civil defense capacities, aided
in salvage drives, bond drives, blood drives, visited hospitals, and
helped recruiting efforts for the Armed Services.
The Forty & Eight made a special
effort to insure every serviceman on transport ships overseas had a deck
of cards. Over 60,000 decks were initially distributed, 610,498 decks
in the second year, and a million decks in 1943-1944. Ultimately,
over 4 million decks of card were distributed.
The Forty & Eight also began issuing
Nursing Scholarships. By September of 1942, over 100 nurses had
been received education grants.
Increasing Legion membership was
deemed vital to organizing veterans to help the war effort. The
Forty & Eight exceeded its goals by gaining 211,301 new Legion members,
thereby helping to bringing the Legion to an all time high in
membership.
1945
The 25th Anniversary of the Forty and Eight coincided with the end of
World War II.
The organization began a new program
to provide free telephone calls home for returning wounded servicemen.
This successful program was seeded by Grande du Kentucky contributing
$50,000 and Grande du Indiana providing $39,000. With the end of
rationing and travel restrictions, Forty and Eight members were able to
meet more frequently.
Over two hundred veteran organizations
sprouted up across the country. Veterancy was booming. The Forty
and Eight brought more than half a million new members to The American
Legion. The Forty & Eight continued to bring influential
Legionnaires together from various posts, thus strengthening unity
within the Legion. Forty & Eight membership exceeded 70,000.
The Forty & Eight’s annual
contribution to the Legion’s Child Welfare Fund continued throughout the
war. Due to an increase in numbers of World War II veteran's
children, the Forty & Eight increased its annual Child Welfare
contribution to $30,000 in 1945 and to $50,000 in 1946.
1947
The Forty & Eight began its long association with the Hanson’s Disease
(leprosy) research hospital in Carville, Louisiana, by funding all
publication costs for the hospital’s patient-published magazine "The
Star". The Forty & Eight purchased a printing press and other equipment
to help the patients carry on “their fight against the ignorance which
surrounds this disease."
Forty & Eight membership rose to
95,000.
1948
The Forty & Eight welcomed the French Gratitude Train. French
railroad boxcar were sent to each American state, filled with gifts from
the French people who wished to say “merci” for America freeing the
French from Nazi tyranny. The Forty & Eight, being an elite corps
of American veterans with its symbol being the WWI French boxcar, was
instrumental in welcoming these WWII boxcars. Voyageurs in each
state participated in ceremonies, and in many states took responsibility
for maintaining the boxcar in museum or display settings.
1955
The Forty & Eight formally established
its Nurses Training program.
1959 (1960)
The Forty & Eight severed ties with
the Legion and became an independent organization.
There had been ripples of discontent
for several years. The organizations were fundamentally different.
The Legion was large, easy to join and non-fraternal. The Forty &
Eight was elite, by-invitation and racially restrictive. The Forty
& Eight had monetary resources many in the Legion deemed theirs.
Conversely, the Forty & Eight objected to funding Legion programs with
large amounts of money, without adequate recognition in return.
The Legion pressed the Forty & Eight to change its constitution to be
racially inclusive. These differences brought the two
organizations to logger heads. Eventually, the American Legion refused
to allow the Forty and Eight to hold its Promenade Nationale in the same
city with the Legion’s National Convention.
The Forty & Eight thus became
independent, but with many vestiges of its parent organization remaining
intact, including the Forty & Eight continuing to only accept Legion
members.
1963
The Nurses Training Program sponsored 2,129 nurses for a total of
$248,047 in scholarships.
Female relatives of Forty & Eight
members organized the auxiliary, La Societe de Femme.
Cabanes (units) were formed in 15 states with over 1,000 initial
members. The purpose of the affiliate organization was to, "further the
programs of the Forty and Eight".
1964
Recognizing that its previous donations to the Legion’s Child Welfare
Fund had amounted to over 1.2 million dollars, the Forty & Eight
established the new Charles W. Ardery Child Welfare Fund as an
irrevocable trust, seeded it with $300,000 and drew up rules governing
the dispersal of its funds as reimbursements to Voitures for local
instances of rendering aid/assistance.
Other programs listed for the year
were; Flag Education, Memorial Day Programs, Boys State, Girls State,
Scouting and the Christmas Tree of Lights program.
1965
At the Promenade Nationale in
Baltimore, Maryland, it was announced that 51 Voitures had aided 770,086
children with a total Child Welfare expenditure value of $2,690,296.
1969
The Charles W. Ardery Child
Welfare Trust Fund granted over $400,000. The trust’s growth was
attributed in part to a 50 cent assessment for Child Welfare in members’
annual dues.
1972
The Ardery Trust Fund presented a
$10,000 grant to the University of Kentucky for research into Cystic
Fibrosis. A $4,363 grant was made to the University of Illinois
for research into the causes of Childhood Diabetes. Total Ardery
trust expenditures for the year were over $37,000.
1973 (1974)
The Forty & Eight, by a vote of 1,280 to 467, amended its constitution
to prohibit any Voiture from restricting its membership by race.
A nationwide gas shortage made it
difficult for many to travel to the proposed 55th Promenade
National in Anaheim, California. The Promenade site was changed to St.
Louis, Missouri.
A Child Welfare grant of $10,000 was
made to the University of Wisconsin for Juvenile Diabetes research.
The Nurses Training program reported 2,475 nurses received financial
help, with $291,000 spent on nursing grants.
1975
The Forty & Eight established the
George Boland Nurses Training Trust Fund, with a $100,000 start up
grant, in honor of Nebraska’s George B. Boland, who had served as Chef
de Chemin de Fer in 1952 and as Avocat National (national attorney) for
many years.
1977
The Forty & Eight established the
Outstanding Law Officer of the Year award program. John C.
Wodetzki, Chief of Police of Lincoln, Illinois, was selected as the
first recipient of the award.
1978 - 1979
The Charles W. Ardery Child Welfare Trust Fund grated $15,600 to the
National Jewish Hospital in Denver to purchase special medical
equipment. A second grant of $10,000 was made to Children's Hospital of
St. Petersburg, Florida for Newborn Intensive Care Unit equipment.
$16,600 was granted to Saint Jude Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, to
purchase a new spectrophotometer. $6,329,276 was reported expended in
money, materials, mileage and man hours throughout the Forty & Eight for
the Child Welfare program.
Voyageurs contributed a total of 6,481
pints of blood. The Carville Star program had 100 percent participation
and contributions exceeded $93,000.
1980
The Forty & Eight began its
partnership in the Veterans Administration Voluntary Service program.
By 1985, Voyageurs were participating in 230 medical facilities serving
veterans.
1982
The Forty & Eight adopted, as a Child Welfare subsidiary program,
AAU/USA Junior Olympics.
1991
The Forty & Eight revised its Preamble to reflect its charitable,
non-profit nature. --- ”For God and country we associate ourselves
together for the following purposes: To create a charitable and
non-profit veterans organization; to uphold and defend the Constitution
of the United States of America; to assist and promote the welfare and
well-being of those who served in the Armed Forces of the United States,
during all wars and conflicts, recognized the Congress of the United
States, and their widows and orphans; to participate in all memorial
services for and to be part in and to encourage others to participate in
the proper observance of all days honoring veterans' to preserve the
memories of our Services in the Armed Forces of our Country; to actively
participate within our membership in projects relating to (a) the
welfare of the children of America; (b) the health of our Nation by
fostering a nurses training program; and (c) selected charitable
endeavors."
1992
In response to hurricanes in Florida, the Forty & Eight responded with
donations of clothing, household goods and medical supplies. In
Florida City alone, 255 children were provided food vouchers, clothing
and household goods and $11,000 was granted to needy families. Relief
teams of Voyageurs traveled into disaster areas to distribute clothing
and supplies. In Hawaii, where a hurricane had come ashore on Kauai,
the Ardery Trust assisted 80 children.
The Forty & Eight’s Flags for First
Graders program is found to be popular among Voyageurs who conduct flag
education programs in elementary schools. The program is responsible
for educating thousands of American youth in the flag history, respect
and protocol.
1993
Additional to it conducting its many ongoing charitable program efforts,
the Forty & Eight assisted victims of natural disasters in Michigan and
Missouri. $30,000 in aid was given to families of children in
flooded areas. A $3,070 grant was given to the Indiana Soldiers and
Sailors Children's Home. Voyageurs of Washington state were applauded
for contributing in excess of $150,000 annually (since 1985) to
charitable projects in their community.
1994
This year marked both the 100th year founding of the Gillis W. Long
Hanson's Disease Center (leprosy research) in Carville, Louisiana, and
the 50th anniversary of the Forty & Eight's sponsorship of the
patient-published Carville “Star” Magazine.
The Forty & Eight established a
national Youth Sports program, to encompass and expand beyond the
narrower scope of the existing Junior Olympics program.
2001
The September 11, 2001 terrorist
attacks on New York and the Pentagon occurred one day before the Forty &
Eight Promenade Nationale was scheduled to begin in Hagerstown,
Maryland, not far from Camp David. Terrorists crashed a civilian
airliner just north of town. Voyageurs already at Hagerstown were
briefly isolated by security forces. Many Voyageurs and spouses
were stranded at airports, some were mid-air during the attacks, and
several found it impossible to reach Hagerstown. The organization
voted total support for America in its war on terror.
The Forty & Eight immediately began
around-the-clock delivery of relief goods to New York and Washington,
D.C. 215 tons of relief goods valuing $881,000 were reported
delivered in the aftermath of the attacks. 11 trips by truck we
made over 24 days to “ground zero” in NYC.
2006
Women veterans become eligible to
join the Forty & Eight. Like their male counterparts, women too
must be members of the American Legion and be invited to join the Forty
& Eight.
The debate on this issue was between
honoring the all-male battle past that created the founders of this
organization and honoring today's male-and-female battle veterans
who are America's modern military. It was decided that the best
way to honor the past, is by honoring the male and female battle
veterans who are American's future.
What is Forty and eight
La Societe des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux
By CINC LTG Robert L. “Sam” Wetzel
Columbus, Georgia, Chapter
When
I was a young boy in Clarksburg, West Virginia, every year at 11:00 am,
on November 11th, we had a parade on (what was then called) Armistice
Day. In the parade were marching bands, politicians in cars, school boy
patrols (me included), WWI Veterans, and the American Legionnaires
riding a funny looking vehicle called Forty & Eight (40 & 8). To this
day, I never knew what “40 & 8” meant; so I looked it up and researched
a number of sources.
During WWI, soldiers were transported to battle in
French Box Cars. On the cars in big letters was ‘40 & 8’. Basically, the
letters stated that the box car would hold 40 men or 8 horses. From what
I read, traveling in one of these box cars was most uncomfortable, some
described it as “miserable”.
La Societe des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux (The
Society of Forty Men and Eight Horses, thus 40 & 8) was founded in 1920
by fifteen World War I Veterans in Philadelphia as an elite membership
inside the American Legion. Its members were called “Military Travelers”
and its applicants for membership were called “Prisoners of War”. The
elected leader of the organization was called “President of the
Railroad”.
To gain publicity, this new outfit rented a railroad box
car and the members “road the rails” in it to the American Legion
Convention in Cleveland in 1920, where they signed up some 700 new
members. In 1921, they began their charity work by establishing a Child
Welfare Project to care for orphaned children. They expanded their
charity work to include junior baseball, Americanism and Emergency
Relief, and a youth summer camp in 1928. In 1932, they declared war on
childhood Diphtheria, furnishing vaccine to poor parents and sponsoring
educational campaigns. From 1932 to 1938 they campaigned for, and won,
the Compensation Act for American War Veterans—and this was the year
they started Boys State in 20 states. Charitable efforts now included
providing iron lungs, anti-juvenile delinquency programs, Legion
Baseball, and Scouting.
During World War II, the Forty and Eight expanded their
programs to meet wartime needs. Many volunteered for military service,
air raid wardens (I was an air raid messenger boy in our government
center, ready to run messages up to the roof in case German planes were
to attack us!), bond drives, scrap metal drives, blood drives, visits of
hospitals and recruiting efforts. One important thing they did for the
troops was to insure that every serviceman going overseas had a deck of
playing cards. Over 4 million were provided. Nursing scholarships were
started in 1942, and later in 1955, the Forty and Eight established
their formal Nurses Training program.
Following the war, free telephone calls were provided
for wounded servicemen. In 1947, the Forty and Eight began their support
of Hanson’s Disease (leprosy) in Louisiana. Then in 1948, as a gesture
of appreciation for our fighting men in WWII, the French sent a French
railroad boxcar to each state filled with gifts from the French people.
The Forty and Eight broke away from the American Legion
in 1959 and began as an independent organization among much
consternation about the Forty and Eight elite membership criteria. By a
vote of 1280-to-467 in 1974 they amended their constitution to prohibit
restriction of membership by race. And in 2006 they finally allowed
women Veterans to join.
Over the years many other programs were established or
supported to include Boys State and Girls State, Cystic Fibrosis,
Memorial Day programs, Flags for First Graders education, the Christmas
Tree Lights program, the Law Officer of the Year Award and support for
hurricane victims. When 9/11 hit they mobilized to assist in delivery of
relief goods. It’s web site today states its purpose is to “ uphold and
defend the United States Constitution, to promote the well being of
Veterans and their widows and orphans, and to actively participate in
selected charitable endeavors, which include programs that promote child
welfare and nurse’s training.” Membership today is by invitation of
honorably discharged Veterans and honorably serving members of the
United States Armed Forces.
So now you and I know the meaning of “40 & 8”. I hate to
admit it, but it took me over 70 years to find out what those fun loving
guys in that miniature railroad train in the parade were all about.
