Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the End of World War I

Coos Bay-North Bend commemorates the end of WWI: A Tribute to our Heroes

Coos Bay and North Bend Veterans will hold a celebration at the Forty & Eight Boxcar (Merci Railcar) in Simpson Park at 11:00 a.m. on November 11, 2018.

(NORTH BEND, Ore.) - On November 11, 1918, the guns went silent on the Western front, ending World War I.

In commemoration of that momentous event, Coos Bay and North Bend Veterans will hold a celebration at the Forty & Eight Boxcar (Merci Railcar) in Simpson Park at 11:00 a.m. on November 11, 2018.

The Forty & Eight Boxcar (Merci Railcar), on display at Simpson Park in North Bend, was part of a "Merci" or Gratitude train that was given to the United States in 1949 by France in appreciation for U.S. contributions during World War I and World War II.

There were 49 cars given to the US and these cars were known as 40 and 8 as they held 40 men or 8 horses. One car was given for each of the 48 states (at the time).

The railcar given to Oregon was located in Salem from 1949 to 1968 when it was moved to Astoria/Warrington.

Cameron Smith, former Director of Oregon’s Department of Veteran Affairs, has been invited to speak. Smith, great grandson of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, heads Oregon’s Department of Consumer and Business Services.

Mr. Smith served as senior policy adviser to Govs. John Kitzhaber and Ted Kulongoski. He previously served five years in the U.S. Marine Corps as a captain and completed three tours of duty in Iraq. He has been touted by Governor Kate Brown as “a strong leader who has spent his career focused on protecting the well-being of others.”