What is the 40&8
La Societe des
Quarante Hommes at Huit Chevaux
is an independent, by invitation, honor organization of male and
female U. S. veterans, more commonly known as the Forty
& Eight.
The
Forty & Eight is committed to charitable and patriotic aims.
Our 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.
The
titles and symbols of the Forty & Eight reflect its First World
War origins. Americans were transported to the battle front on
French trains within boxcars stenciled with a “40/8”, denoting
its capacity to hold either forty men or eight horses. This
uncomfortable mode of transportation was familiar to all who
fought in the trenches; a common small misery among American
soldiers who thereafter found “40/8” a lighthearted symbol of
the deeper service, sacrifice and unspoken horrors of war
that bind all who have borne the battle.
The
Forty & Eight was founded in 1920 by American veterans returning
from France. Originally an arm of The American Legion, the
Forty & Eight became an independent and separately incorporated
veteran's organization in 1960. Membership is by invitation and
is currently restricted to members of The American Legion. A
resolution is pending that will allow the nomination
of unassociated honorably discharged veterans and honorably
serving members of the United States Armed Forces. |
