This 40&8 boxcar is one of forty-nine cars that comprised the Merci or Gratitude Train, a gift to the American People from the Citizens of France. The 40&8 boxcars, so named because of their capacity to hold either 40 men or 8 horses, transported soldiers and horses to and from France battlefields during WWI. Many WWII soldiers rode the boxcars as well. Kansas received its boxcar in a ceremony on Armistice Day November 11, 1949 in Hays KS. The 40&8 boxcar was placed on the Fort Hays Kansas State University ground. All forty-nine states received a boxcar filled with gifts, ranging from humble offerings to priceless art and antiques. The District of Columbia and the Territory of Hawaii shared the fourty-ninth [sic] car. Gifts of sacrifice from individuals conveyed each donor's depth of gratitude to America for liberating France in two world wars and for sending the Friendship Train, a $40 million food relief effort carried out by the American volunteers in 1947, which saved many French citizens from starvation. In 1975 the 40&8 boxcar was moved to its present location at the home of the American Legion-Hays where it was completely refurbished, then transformed into the military museum you see today. The Merci Train boxcars now stand as a tribute to the sacrifices and bravery of American Veterans who served in France in two world wars
and as a symbol of friendship and gratitude between the People of the United States of America and the Citizens of France.
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