Forty & Eight
La Société des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux (The Society of Forty Men and Eight Horses) is an independent, by invitation, honor society of American veterans, more commonly known as “The Forty & Eight”.
MEMBERSHIP
ABOUT US
The Forty & Eight is committed to charitable and patriotic arms.
OUR PURPOSE:
- Upholding and defending the Constitution of the United States
- Promoting the well-being of veterans, their widows, widowers, and orphans.
- Actively participating in selected charitable endeavors, which include among others, programs that promote child welfare and nurses training.
OUR HISTORY
La Societe des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux otherwise known as The Society of 40 Men and 8 Horses was founded in 1920 by Joseph W. Breen at American Legion Post 297 in Philadelphia, PA.
Inspired by World War 1 French Boxcars, Breen and 16 other prominent Legionnaires envisioned an elite membership and camaraderie for leaders of the American Legion. Today, their legacy continues to stand strong, bringing hope to a new generation of veterans.
OUR PROGRAMS
By virtue of being veterans who have served their country in its time of greatest need, the fun-loving, hard-working Voyageurs Militaire maintain a strong commitment to the American way of life. Americanism projects, respect for the flag, Constitution, Law and Order and the proven willingness to defend these principles is evident in the day-to-day activities of members of our society.
The primary function of the Charles W. Ardery Trust Fund is to provide reimbursements of funds expended by a Voiture Locale or a Grande Voiture in meeting the emergent needs of children 17 years of age or younger.
The Boland Nurses Scholarship Trust was founded to provide additional scholarship support to those Voitures Locale who have exhausted their scholarship funds but who still have qualified individuals applying for scholarships.
The National Box Car Association was founded in 1965 as an affiliate of “La Societe’ de Forty & Eight” with the primary purpose of preserving the Box Car as the symbol of the Forty & Eight. Over time Locomotives were added to the symbolic rolling stock of the NBCA since they were connected and needed to haul the Box Cars.
2020 Carville Star Pin - honors the Daughters of Charity who arrived in Carville in 1896 to care for patients and ultimately serve in varied roles at the hospital.
The Voyageurs Militaire (Military Travelers) founded a Child Welfare Program in 1923 to ease the pain and suffering of those children whose fathers never returned or who were unable to care for their needs after the "Big War."
The Forty and Eight General's Club was formed in 1973. Its original purpose was to honor and dignify the profession of law enforcement. Funds generated by the annual dues in this elite club, underwrite the expenses of the Outstanding Law Officer of the Year program. In so doing, the General's Club affords each annual Outstanding Law Officer of the Year award recipient, the opportunity to attend Promenade Nationale, as a guest of the Forty and Eight.
In 1955 Voiture Nationale formally established a Nurses Training Program and challenged each Locale and Grande to establish a Nurses Training Program at their level. Since the establishment of our Nurses Training Program the 40&8 has helped over 32,000 people with scholarships for training.
National Past Chef de Gare Club exists to: 1)honor, through membership, those Voyageurs who have served their Voiture Locale and/or Grande Voiture as Chef de Gare. 2) directly support the Forty & Eighter Magazine with a $10,000.00 per year donation derived from membership dues, memorial donations, gifts and other special fund raising projects that the club may undertake. 3) increase comradery between club members who share common bonds, and who are "Etiam Servans". (Still Serving).
The purpose of the National POW/MIA Program is to raise funds in Honor of the Servicemen & Women who were Prisoners of War, or are considered Missing in Action while serving in the defense of the United States of America, or its allies during times of armed conflict.
Our Ritual & Manual of Ceremonies is our guide for all ceremonies. Read it, study it and learn to use it properly. It is recommended that each Grande Voiture and Voiture Locale have a Ritual Committee. Their duties should be to study thoroughly the Ritual & Manual of Ceremonies and offer suggestions to improve it to the Permanent Ritual Committee for its consideration and recommendation to the Promenade Nationale.
The Forty & Eight, as are most Veterans Organizations, is an active member and participant in the VAVS program. As part of this program, Voyageurs (called Representatives or Deputy Representatives) represent the Forty and Eight by regularly attending the VAVS Committee meetings at their Local Veteran Administration Medical Centers (VAMC’s). They as well as other Voyageur Volunteers visit the VAMC’s on a regular basis, where they give comfort and assistance to, or just visit with, the hospitalized veterans. VAVS Volunteers are a priceless asset to the Nation’s Veterans and to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Youth Sports Program was established in 1994. Through this program, the 40/8 provides financial assistance in the form of grants to individual athletes or teams who lack the funds required to attend and participate in amateur sports programs.
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