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Grande Voiture

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Click here to read the Grand Chef de Gare's welcome

William J. Reed, V-104, Grand Chef de Gare

Grandes Cheminots Meeting 2010 Photos
February 20 & 21, 2010 - Santa Clara, CA

What is the Forty and 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 of ALL honorably discharged veterans and honorably serving members of the United States Armed Forces.

Click here for more details on how to get this new pin!
Click here for Carl Asher's letter regarding 2010 Special Awards
Recent articles of the Grande & Locale Voitures

Grande Cheminot, Palm Springs, October 11th, 2009 (.pdf) (MS Word)
Request for Reimbursement Form (.pdf) (MS Word)

90th National Promenade Notes

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Updated March 5th, 2010

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