Grand du Texas 75th Anniversary for Gratitude Train and Texas Merci Boxcar

La Societe des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux THE SOCIETY OF 40 MEN & 8 HORSES THE GRANDE VOITURE DU TEXAS

TRAIN DE LA RECONNAISSANCE FRANÇAISE

75th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION CAMP MABRY, AUSTIN, TEXAS MARCH 22, 2024

The Forty & Eight

OUR 1920 FOUNDERS WERE VETERANS OF W.W.I. FRANCE. During the First World War, French boxcars carried American Doughboys to the front. These wartime boxcars, which held either 40 men or 8 horses, were emblazoned with a “40/8”; a symbol readily understood by American veterans of that era. Today our organization’s titles are in French and we meet in symbolic W.W.I. train depots, in grateful homage to the sacrifices of our Doughboy founders and indeed to honor all Americans who yet serve. -- We are most commonly known as “La Societe” or simply “The Forty & Eight”.

Please visit our website at WWW.TEXASBOXCAR.ORG

The Texas Merci Boxcar prior to 2014 move and 2017 Shield Update.

American Doughboys aboard 40 & 8 rail cars during WWI / Photo Courtesy of U.S. Signal Corp 1917

Forty & Eight Titles and Phrases Chef de Chemin de Fer Sous Chef de Chemin de Fer Cheminot Nationale Grande / Locale Chef de Gare Chef de Train Conducteur Correspondant Commissaire Intendant Aumonier Voyageur Militaire Chapeaux

National Commander of the 40 & 8 National Vice-Commander of the 40 & 8 National Voiture Executive Committee State or Local Level Officers Chief of Station or Commander Train Master or Vice-Commander Sergeant at Arms Adjutant Finance Officer Chaplain Military Traveler Hat or Cap

PROCLAMATION WHEREAS, the great French Nation, through the French War Veterans, is showing its appreciation to the United States for the "Friendship Train" by sending a "Train of Gratitude" to this country, and WHEREAS, this "Train of Gratitude" will consist of French box cars filled with typical French nonluxury items, exclusive of raw materials received under the Marshall Plan, such as: Sevres pottery, Limoges porcelains, Brittany bonnets, engraved woodwork, Annecy Church bells, Baccarat crystals, peasant costumes, and historical documents of mutual interest to the two countries, these to be gifts for the American people, and WHEREAS, the "Train of Gratitude" will travel through France, as the "Friendship Train” traveled throughout the United States, picking up gifts of local organizations, and upon arrival in the United States will be divided into three or four sectional trains to different areas of the country, leaving one box car in each State, and WHEREAS, these historical box cars will be given to La Societe des 40 Hommes et 8 Chevaux of the American Legion in each State. The gifts contained therein will be auctioned off, and the proceeds therefrom used for Child Welfare work, NOW THEREFORE, I, BEAUFORD JESTER, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF TEXAS, do hereby proclaim that the Grand Voiture of Texas, La Societe des 40 Hommes et 8 Chevaux of the Department of Texas, the American Legion, shall have charge of the "Train of Gratitude " when it enters upon Texas soil, to carry out the purposes for which said train was sent, and to represent the Governor and the people of this State in said enterprise ".

Governor Jester signed the proclamation August 27, 1948.

Design of Gratitude Train Boxcars from Drew Pearson Files

On February 2, 1949 the French Freighter Magellan arrives with gifts of gratitude from the people of France. Spectators can see “Merci America” painted on the sides as it arrives in New York Harbor amidst great fanfare.

(Courtesy Life Magazine 1949)

Photo above left: Drew Pearson, Salvind Olson and Senator Tom Connally of Texas. (Photo courtesy of LBJ Presidential Library / Pearson Papers)

Texas “Merci” Boxcar The Texas Merci Boxcar is one of the 49 boxcars given to the United States in February 1949 as part of the TRAIN DE LA RECONNAISSANCE FRANÇAISE. Each boxcar came filled with gifts from the people of France. The boxcars, referred to as “Forty & Eights”, were primarily used during WWI to transport soldiers and horses throughout France.

The American Friendship Train In 1947 the people of France and Italy were still struggling to recover from the devastation of World War II. After seeing this firsthand, noted columnist and journalist Drew Pearson spearheaded the idea of providing them with essential food items: flour, beans, evaporated milk, macaroni, sugar, and wheat .

Americans contributed generously to the purely grass-roots effort, filling the “Friendship Train" with an estimated $40 million in relief supplies.

The French Gratitude Train Touched by this response to their need, the French answered with a program of their own. The idea originated with André Picard and Louis Cast, both veterans and delegates of the French railroad. They suggested that a boxcar be filled with gifts from every part of France and sent to the United States as a gesture of gratitude.

The idea led to the creation of a committee to solicit enough gifts to fill one boxcar.

France’s response exceeded all expectations and it soon became obvious that a single boxcar could not hold all the items. The French War Veterans Association assumed control of the project and decided to try to fill 49 boxcars, one for every state then in the union and one boxcar for the District of Columbia and territory of Hawaii. In all, 52,000 gifts, weighing 250 tons were collected during 1948 and loaded into the 49 boxcars, which were then loaded aboard the freighter Magellan at Le Havre France for their transatlantic journey.

The ship, with "Merci America" adorning its sides, received a royal welcome in New York Harbor on February 2, 1949. Congress had passed a resolution allowing the gifts to enter the country duty-free and longshoremen volunteered their services to bring the cars ashore. The French boxcars were loaded onto flatcars and del iv ere d t o state capitals across the country, at no charge.

Upon reaching their destinations, the cars were greeted by dignitaries at special ceremonies. Their contents, after being displayed for a time, were distributed in a variety of ways. Many were sold at auction, with the proceeds going to charity, while some especially significant items went to various public institutions.

Unfortunately, few of the gifts lovingly placed in the cars by the citizens of France can be traced today. But those cars that have survived vandalism and the ravages of time testify to a great expression of friendship and caring between two nations and their peoples who fought side by side for a common goal more than half a century ago.

Texas Merci Boxcar arrives in Fort Worth, Texas and then on to Austin where it was unloaded. The boxcar and artifacts were on display in San Antonio for several weeks before it was relocated back to Camp Mabry in Austin where the 1st Annual Pilgrimage was held in 1950!

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Above a Brownie Troop visits the boxcar in Fort Worth and photo of Drew Pearson in Texas. (photo courtesy Ft. Worth Star Telegram)

The Texas Merci Car Pilgrimage started in 1950 and continued until 2021 when the Annual Pilgrimage in Austin ended. Of the 75 years, Austin hosted the Spring Cheminot for 72 of those years.

Austin plans to continue to host the Spring Cheminot every 5 years. __

The symbol of the Merci Train is a frontal view of a steam engine with flowers on the pilot which are symbolic of Flanders Field, where many American "Doughboys" from WWI are buried. The drawing was adopted as the official symbol of the French Merci Train Committee, and a plaque of the drawing was placed on each of the Merci boxcars. The committee also had gift tags made bearing the symbol, and one accompanied each of the more than 52,000 gifts sent in the 49 boxcars

GRATITUDE TRAIN AND TEXAS MERCI BOXCAR 75th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Master of Ceremonies David J Knutson Grand Chef de Gare Passe / Grand Directeur Boxcar

Pledge of Allegiance Sous Chef de Chemin de Fer John Rodgers

Invocation Grand Aumonier J. Sean Habina

Welcome Grand Chef de Gare du Texas Keith Reiss Jr.

Special Presentation City Proclamation Austin City Mayor Kirk Watson

Greetings from Camp Mabry Garrison Commander

The Texas Military Forces Museum Director Jeff Hunt

Introduction of Chef de Chemin de Fer Correspondant Nationale Ronald Rolfes

Forty & Eight Voiture Nationale Chef de Chemin de Fer Frank Campo

GRATITUDE TRAIN AND TEXAS MERCI BOXCAR 75th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Introduction of the Consul General of France Honorary Consul General of France in Austin Liz Wiley

The Consul General of France Valérie Baraban Consul General of France in Houston

Presentation to Consul General of France Chef de Chemin de Fer, Correspondant Nationale, Current Grand Chef de Gare & Grand Chefs Passe

Introduction of the Special Guest from France Master of Ceremony David J Knutson

Special Guest from France Olivier Chasle

Closing Remarks Master of Ceremony David J Knutson

Benediction Grand Aumonier J. Sean Habina

Adjourn for Photos

La Société des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux Voiture Nationale Paul J. Emmert, Sr. Directeur, National Box Car Association 345 Moores Branch Circle Westminster, MD 21158 443-745-1948 pjemmertsr@comcast.net

February 2, 2024

David Knutson Grand Directeur Box Car Grande Voiture du Texas Directeur Knutson, I would like to extend my congratulations to Texas on this, the 75th Anniversary of the Merci Train and her 49 Box Cars, gifted to us by France in 1949.

As the National Directeur for the Box Car Program within La Société des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux, I have had the pleasure of reviewing several of the surviving Box Cars. I am especially proud when I see one such as Texas’, which has for 10 years now, been on exhibit at the Texas Military Forces Museum in Austin.

It is through the dedication of Voyageurs like yourself, and the many people who visit the exhibit every year, that I am able to have the confidence that what the Box Cars mean, and where they come from, will never be forgotten.

What you and your Comrades in Texas are continuing to do is a testament to dedication and respect for our Nation’s history, and also that of our friendship with France.

The crew and passengers on the Magellan would be proud, as would the original “Doughboys” from WWI. For La Société,

Paul J. Emmert, Sr.

La Societe des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux

National Box Car Association

Valérie Baraban has served as Consul General of France in Houston since September 2021. She is the first woman and the first credentialed philosophy professor to hold this position. After teaching at the University of California and in France, she began her diplomatic career 15 years ago.

She has worked in strategic affairs, security and defense and has held positions at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and NATO as well as in the French administration. Additionally, she headed the French Cooperation and Cultural Affairs Network in China.

VALÉRIE BARABAN Consul General of France in Houston

LIZ WILEY Honorary Consul General of France in Austin

Liz Wiley is an attorney with broad commercial litigation and intellectual property experience, obsessed with facilitating cross-border transactions and mitigating the communication mishaps that can derail them. Since 2011 she has applied her tech sector experience in patent litigation to connecting France’s dynamic tech ecosystems with Austin and vice versa. She has given several presentations in France to advise French companies setting up operations or partnerships in the U.S. and along the way has accumulated an estimated 35 treks to France. She is a founding director of the French American Business Council of Austin, Inc., was named in 2015 the Honorary Consul of France for Austin, and serves as the legal mentor for Austin’s “French Tech” initiative.

Frank Campo was born in Springfield, IL where he grew up and attended school. Upon graduating he joined the US Army as a combat engineer in 1983. He married the former Jodie Cruthis in 2012, whom he has known since they were 10. They have a blended family of five children and thirteen grandchildren. Frank has a Bachelor of Arts from California State University San Bernardino in Criminal Justice and Paralegal Studies. He also is an ordained Baptist minister.

Frank served a distinguished military career with the United States Army being assigned to several location within the continental United States. He also served overseas in Germany and Panama. In the fall of 1990, he was assigned to the plans and operations section of the XVIII Airborne Corps in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm.

CHEF DE CHEMIN DE FER FRANK CAMPO

Frank is a member of the Fremont Voiture 1179 and was wrecked in June 2009. He was Grand Chef de Gare for the Grand du California in 2016 and elected Sous Chef de Chemin de Fer in 2019-2021. He is also a “Guardian” of the Paul Bunyan Gavel. Most recently, he served as Nationale Directeur of the Americanism Program and is an advisor to the Blue Chevaliers project.

Ron was born at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. He is a graduate of Holy Cross High School, New Orleans, La. He enlisted into the United States Air Force Reserve in 1981 and started his active-duty career in 1983 as an Aircraft Maintenance Technician. Ron spent most of his career in Europe and is a Desert Storm Veteran. He retired on 1 December 2003. Ron now resides in Hudson, Fla. Ron was wrecked into La Societe, Voiture Locale 1554, Bitburg, Germany in October of 1992. He served V-1554 by holding various offices including Chef de Gare in 1998. Ron Served the Grande du Germany as Grand Cheminot from 1993-1996. He was elected as Grande Chef de Gare in 1999 In 2004, Ron was elected to the high office of Sous Chef de Chemin Der Fer for the 2005 year. In September of 2005, he was appointed Nationale Directeur VAVS/SVH and held that CORRESPONDANT NATIONALE position till just recently. He accepted an appointment as RON ROLFES Correspondant National in September 2023.

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson has been immersed in public policy in both local and state government in Texas for over three decades. He won his first term as Austin mayor in 1997 and was reelected with 84% of the vote. He earned praise for bringing different political factions together around transformative environmental and economic development initiatives. Watson returned to Austin City Hall in 2023 for a third term as mayor after serving more than 13 years in the Texas Senate, where he led on issues such as public education, healthcare and government transparency.

KIRK WATSON Mayor of Austin, Texas

OLIVIER CHASLE Independent Film Director Brittany, France

Currently, Mayor Watson is working to address Austin’s most pressing issues including affordability, transportation, public safety and homelessness. In July, Watson brought together several community partners to work with representatives of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs and the Governor’s Office to address the City’s homelessness crisis with a $64 million partnership to increase shelter capacity in Austin.

Olivier lives in Brittany, a French region famous for its buckwheat pancakes and its famous "Kouign Aman", a cake made mainly of butter and sugar! It's also a region almost entirely surrounded by the sea, with a strong maritime culture.

Olivier’s wife is an emergency doctor and they have three children.

Oliver has been making documentary films and TV magazines for 25 years, and has traveled extensively to discover new cultures. For a long time, he worked on scientific and naturalist films, but he has always been interested in history. His first historical film told the story of two war wounded who became lighthouse keepers. For several years now, Olivier has been interested in the history of the Merci Train, and says he finds the story fascinating.

SILVER SUPPORTERS OF THE GRANDE VOITURE DU TEXAS

Gerald “Jerry” Brady Chef de Chemin de Fer 2010

Robert “Bob” Nagle Sous Chef de Chemin de Fer 1998

Voiture Locale 1134

Voiture Locale 605

Corpus Christi, Texas

El Paso, Texas

John Rodgers Sous Chef de Chemin de Fer 2024

Jim Sweeney Grand Chef de Train

GOLD SUPPORTERS OF THE GRANDE VOITURE DU TEXAS

Chef de Chemin de Fer

Grand Chef De Gare du Texas

Frank Campo

Keith Reiss Jr.

Bell County Voiture Locale 1031

Bexar County Voiture Locale 542

GOLD SUPPORTERS OF THE GRANDE VOITURE DU TEXAS

Grand Chef de Gare Passe David J Knutson

Coryell County Voiture Locale

Central Texas Area Veterans Advisory Committee

Jewish War Veterans Fort Cavazos Post 795

266

PLATINUM SUPPORTERS OF THE GRANDE VOITURE DU TEXAS

DOUBLE PLATINUM SUPPORTERS OF THE GRANDE VOITURE DU TEXAS

AMERICAN LEGION TRAVIS POST 76 AMERICAN LEGION KNEBEL POST 83

DOUBLE PLATINUM SUPPORTERS OF THE GRANDE VOITURE DU TEXAS

Grand Chefs de Gare Passe 1997 2001 2005 2009 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

Robert “Bob” Nagle V-1031 Jerry Brady V-1185 James R. Overturf V-1031 Milton R. Chatham V-312 Daniel J. Thompson V-1055 Lowell J. Mix V-542 David J Knutson V-175 David J Knutson V-175 Joseph T. McCullough V-542 Joseph T. McCullough V-542 Renslar Keagle V-605 Renslar Keagle V-605 John Rodgers V-1031 Roger Folmar V-605 Roger Folmar V-605

SPECIAL THANKS TO

French Gratitude Train Collection, Texas Merci Boxcar

AND The Texas Capitol Visitors Center 112 East 11th Street, Austin, Texas 78701

Merci Texas: A Story of Generosity and Gratitude For their extended exhibit of gifts from the Texas Merci Boxcar

OUR 1920 FOUNDERS WERE VETERANS OF W.W.I. FRANCE. Our organization’s formal title is La Societe des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux or the Society of Forty Men and Eight Horses.

During the First World War, French boxcars carried American Doughboys to the front. These wartime boxcars, which held either 40 men or 8 horses, were emblazoned with “40/8”; a symbol readily understood by American veterans of that era. Today our organization’s titles are in French and we meet in symbolic W.W.I. train depots, in grateful homage to the sacrifices of our Doughboy founders and indeed to honor all Americans who yet serve. -- We are most commonly known as “La Societe” or simply “The Forty & Eight”.