On February 3, 1949. New York Harbor was an exciting place. Many people were there to greet a ship from France. On the ship were 49 French railroad boxcars filled with gifts from the people of France to the people of America. These boxcars were from the famous Merci Train (Merci: a French word meaning "thank you").
After World War II, a lot of factories, roads and farms in France had been destroyed. Many French people had no jobs or money and had little to wear and little to eat. In the winter of 1947, a train was sent across the United States, stopping in cities and towns along the way. At every stop, people gave whatever they could. Factories gave clothing and medicine. Farmers gave food. Families gave money. Even school children gave away their pocket money. All the things were then taken to France by ship.
By 1949, the French had begun to recover from the war. The Merci Train was their way of saying "thank you" to America. French people had filled the boxcars with gifts. Most ofthemwere personal, like hand-made toys, children's drawings, or postcards. But the boxcars themselves were perhaps the most meaningful of the gifts .On each car, the French people had painted the pictures of all their 40 provinces, with an American eagle on the front. The boxcars were taken to each state of America, where they were warmly greeted.
Now many of the states still keep their boxcars. Gifts sent by the French people can still be seen in some museums. The Merci Train came out of the war, but it now reminds the world that countries can also work together.
