A national group has chosen a Highway Patrol trooper from South Dakota as its 2024 “Hero of the Year.” Trooper John Berndt received the award at the National Promenade of The Society of the Forty Men and Eight Horses, more commonly known as The Forty and Eight, last month (Sept. 20, 2024). Berndt was recognized as The Forty and Eight Hero of the Year (by Voiture 146 in Aberdeen) in April. He was then selected as the state Hero of the Year, and most recently, chosen as the national award recipient from among many other state finalists. The Forty and Eight was founded in 1920 by American veterans returning from France. Berndt says he was in a life-or-death event that lasted for several minutes, but he went home and slept in his own bed that night. Berndt says the fact this group of veterans would find his actions “heroic” is humbling. Read about the incident that earned Berndt the Hero award by clicking this link. Originally an arm of The American Legion, the Forty and Eight became an independent and separately incorporated veteran’s organization in 1960. Membership is by invitation of honorably discharged veterans and honorably serving members of the United States Armed Forces. The Forty and Eight is committed to charitable and patriotic aims. Their purpose is to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States, to promote the well-being of veterans, their widows, widowers and orphans, and to actively participate in selected charitable endeavors. The purpose of the award is to recognize and pay tribute to a person who, without hesitation or regard for their own safety, demonstrates an unselfish desire to aid others. The plaque presented to Berndt states, ‘The Society of the Forty Men and Eight Horses proudly present this award in recognition of his quick thinking and bravery which resulted in apprehending a dangerous criminal.’ The titles and symbols of The Forty and Eight are in French, derived from the experiences of U.S. troops during World War I. American soldiers were transported to the front on the French rail system. Cramped into narrow gauge boxcars, each stenciled with “40 Hommes/8 Chevaux”, denoting its capacity to hold either 40 men or 8 horses. This uncomfortable mode of transportation was familiar common experience for every Doughboy that fought in the trenches; a mutual small misery among American soldiers. Thereafter, they found “40/8” a lighthearted symbol of the deeper service, unspoken horrors and shared sacrifice that bind all who have endured combat.