The Military Order of the Firing Squad is a national honor degree associated of the Army and Navy Union veterans' organization in the United States (the oldest active United States veterans' society - but historically it's more of a regional organization and smaller in size). Similar associations in other veterans' organizations would include the American Legions' Forty and Eight, and the Veteran of Foreign Wars' Military Order of the Cootie. The Forty and Eight are named after the French boxcars that transported American doughboys to the Western Front in the Great War. The boxcars carried forty soldiers, or eight horses - and were so marked - 40&8. While the organizations do many things, they often participate in patriotic functions like parades and provide honor guards at funerals for veterans. The Cooties are known for supporting charitable veterans' activities in Veteran Hospitals.
