Female military veterans are now eligible to become members of the Forty and Eight, an organization created in 1920 to honor leaders of the American Legion.

“The debate on this issue was between honoring that all-male battle past and today’s male and female battle veterans who make up America’s modern military,” said Jim Saddler, past commander of the James L. Dickey Post 23 American Legion in Portsmouth.

Like their male counterparts, women too must be members of the American Legion and be invited to join the Forty and Eight.

The Scioto County Forty and Eight is located in a look-alike boxcar at 705 Court St., at the rear of Post 23.

The character of a veteran’s discharge must be documented by the veteran providing a DD-214 with a completed petition approved by the nationwide Forty and Eight. The organization is presently accepting petitions from any honorably discharged veterans who live in Scioto, Lawrence and Adams counties in Ohio and Greenup County in Kentucky.

Meetings are the second Tuesday of each month.

More information is available by writing Scioto County Voiture 443 40/8, 705 Court St., P.O. Box 186, Portsmouth, Ohio 45662.

Initiation of new members is scheduled for May 8, 2010.

Back in the days of the founders, the French box car of the French Railways, so familiar to American ground troops of World War I and later World War II, was chosen as the symbol of the new organization.

The box cars, which could hold 40 people or eight horses, were used to move troops across France during World War II.

In 1948, the Forty and Eight welcomed the French Gratitude Train. French railroad box cars were sent to each American state filled with gifts from the French people who wanted to say “merci” for America helping to free the French from Nazi tyranny.

Many states took responsibility for maintaining the boxcar in museum or display settings.

The Forty and Eight supports a number of charitable and patriotic programs, including scholarships for nurses training. In 1963, its Nurses Training Program sponsored 2,129 nurses with $248,047 in scholarships. It was in 1973 and 1974 that the national Forty and Eight, by a vote of 1,280 to 467, amended its constitution to prohibit any Forty and Eight from restricting its membership by race.

In 1992, in response to hurricanes in Florida, Forty and Eight clubs donated clothing, household goods and medical supplies to help people recover. In Florida City alone, 255 children were provided food vouchers and clothing and $11,000 was granted to needy families.

G. SAM PIATT can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 236.