Two members of the La Societe des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux aka "The Forty and Eight," made a visit to Tilford Elementary to make a donation to The Backpack Program. The group presented Molly Noren with $1,000 in gift cards to be distributed to families participating in the program to help make their Christmas a bit brighter.

The two members present were Alan Woodhouse and not pictured, Roger Uthoff both area Veterans.

La Societe des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux is an independent, by invitation, honor organization of male and female United States Veterans more commonly known as "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 of the United States, to promote the well-being of veterans, their widows, widowers, and orphans, and to actively participate in selected charitable endeavors, which include among others, programs that promote child welfare and nurses training.

The titles and symbols of The Forty and Eight are derived from the experiences of U.S. troops during World War I. Americans soldiers were transported to the front on the French rail system. Cramped into narrow gauge boxcars, each stenciled with "40 Hommes/8 Chevaux", denoting its capacity to hold either 40 men or 8 horses. This uncomfortable mode of transportation was familiar common experience for every Doughboy that fought in the trenches; a mutual small misery among American soldiers. Thereafter, they found "40/8" a lighthearted symbol of the deeper service, unspoken horrors and shared sacrifice that bind all who have endured combat.

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 honorably discharged veterans and honorably serving members of the United States Armed Forces.


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