"Back at the Gap" Major General Frank H. Smoker, Jr. (USAF, Retired) “Friendship” brings response of “Gratitude” 29th in a series In 1947, with the Marshall Plan providing a food program and other economic help to war-torn Europe, the Americans in an outpouring of generosity, sent the Friendship Train to France. Worth some $40 million, the Friendship Train consisted of more than 700 carloads of food, clothing, fuel and medical supplies. Not an official government program, but rather a grass roots, people-to-people effort, the American Friendship Train carried personal contributions from individuals in every part of America. By 1949, France was on its way to recovery, and that country sent the Gratitude Train back to the United States as a gesture of its thanks and appreciation to the American people. The Gratitude Train consisted of a 40 & 8 railroad car filled with gifts for each State. The 40 & 8 car that came to Pennsylvania has been located at Indiantown Gap. Over the years, it deteriorated and badly needed refurbishing, but no government funds were available to restore this historic 40 & 8 - a moniker derived from the capacity of World War I boxcars, each capable of holding either 40 soldiers or eight horses. So, in 1983, Major General Richard M. Scott, the Adjutant General, asked each soldier and airmen in the Pennsylvania Guard to contribute 48 cents toward the restoration (this amount being derived from the 40 & 8 designation of the railroad car), and sufficient donations were raised to provide the necessary funds for the project. The car was repainted and restored. Now, it is periodically maintained and is on display under a protective roof of a special pavilion in front of the Community Club, at the “Y” intersection of Fisher and Clement Avenues in the center of the Post. I am indebted to retired Lt. Col. Manual A. Conley who has given me permission to include excerpts of his January 1983 Retired Officer Magazine article entitled, “Whatever Happened to Those Forty and Eights?”. These cars arrived in America aboard an ocean freighter on Feb. 3, 1949. During two wars they had served France as dual-purpose railway haulers of the military cargoes stenciled on their sides: "Hommes 40-Chevaux 8." But now the stubby little boxcars held neither men nor horses. Instead, each was crammed with precious gifts for the United States of America as an expression of thanks from the citizens of France to the people of America for aid rendered during and after World War II. All cars were decorated with plaques bearing the coats of arms of the 40 provinces of France. Across their sides, upon the tri-colored bands, was printed the name of the enterprise for which they stood - on one side "Train de la Reconnaissance Francais" and on the other "Gratitude Train." It was the American Friendship Train that inspired a rail worker and war veteran named Andre Picard to suggest that France reciprocate. His original idea was to present the United States with a decorated 40 & 8 boxcar loaded with gifts representative of his country: wines from Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and the Loire Valley; white lace headdresses from the Brittany-Normandy hills; perfumes and hats from Paris; and clay figures from Provence. A local veterans organization adopted the proposal, and a committee was established to solicit gifts. The response from the citizenry was immediate and overwhelming. As press and radio spread the story, the project gained national momentum. The government announced its official approval. Clearly a single boxcar would not be enough. Superseding the local committee, the National Headquarters of the French War Veterans Association took control and decided to fill 49 cars with gifts. One would go to each of the 48 states, and the 49th would be shared by the District of Columbia and the territory of Hawaii. Not only did their use allow an exchange of train for train, but the 40 & 8’s themselves possessed symbolic significance. During World War I, millions of khaki-clad Yanks, carried by steel Pullman sleepers to Atlantic ports, landed in France to find awaiting them these rickety wooden cars. Built between 1872 and 1885, the 12-ton, 29-foot, four wheeled rail carriages were first used as general-purpose freight haulers, then later converted to troop and animal transports for wartime service. With their protruding button type buffers and chain-link couplings, the antiquated conveyances appeared at once exotic and outlandish to their combat-bound passengers. In “The Doughboy-The Story of the AEF”, Laurence Stallings tells of one sergeant who reported to his leader: "I got all my 40 artillerymen in the boxcar, lieutenant. But if you try to put eight of our horses in, somebody's gonna be trampled to death." In the 1920s, some veterans, with memories of fateful rail journeys across France, formed a fraternal group which took its name from the cars, and that organization continues today. Although many in that war-ravaged country had little but sentiment to offer, more than six million families helped to fill the cars. Most of the 52,000 carefully packaged and crated gifts were worth little in money, Yet, some were priceless. They included childish drawings on rough, yellowed paper; puzzles mounted on cardboard frames; ashtrays made of broken mirrors; worn-down wooden shoes; hand-crocheted doilies; battered toys; the original bust of Benjamin Franklin by the great French Sculptor, Jean Antoine Houdon; a jeweled Legion d'Honneur once presented to Napoleon; the bugle which signaled the Armistice signing at Compiegne in 1918; 50 rare paintings; a Louis XV carriage; and the first motorcycle ever built. By the end of 1949 the boxcars were filled to capacity. The train, carrying more than 250 tons of gratitude, was assembled at Paris and pulled to the port of La Havre for shipment to America. When the merchant ship Magellan reached its destination, it was greeted by a flotilla of small boats, and the gaily beflagged freighter, emblazoned amidships with the huge inscription "Merci, America," steamed proudly into New York Harbor while overhead waves of Air Force planes roared by in aerial salute. The ship docked at Weehawken, N.J., and the following day unloaded through the voluntary services of local stevedoring companies. Normal customs procedures were waived: President Truman had signed into law a special resolution permitting the train and its cargo to enter the United States duty free. Since their wheels were about eight inches wider than American rails, the 40 & 8’s were hoisted onto flatcars for their overland journey. As far as practicable the 40 & 8’s were routed to retrace the movements of the Friendship Train; and one by one, they were delivered to the various state capitals. In city after city, dignitaries assembled, parades were held and thousands gathered to witness the colorful ceremonies. All across the nation, Americans went all-out to welcome France's Merci train. In most cases the gifts were initially exhibited in capitals or major cities and then sent on state-wide tours. As for the 40 & 8 cars themselves, little difficulty was encountered in finding suitable homes. Most were entrusted to veterans organizations. Some were placed in museums and some incorporated into memorials. Others were given to fairgrounds and city parks. Today, there are still about 39 cars from the Gratitude Train on public display. We can be proud that Pennsylvania’s 40 & 8 car is still on display for all to see at Fort Indiantown Gap as an integral part of its history and as a reminder of the splendid gesture sent by the people of France almost half a century ago.   Published in the Lebanon Daily News on Wednesday, 15 December 2004 © 2004 Frank H. Smoker, Jr. All rights reserved. Reproduced by permission of the author. Go "Back at the Gap" Index