The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-12-03
TROOPS, EXCEPT
WOUNDED, GET A
NOISY GREETING
Warm Welcome for Maure-
. tania's 1909, but None for
Northern Pacific's LOO.
CONTRAST IN RECEPTIONS
Mayor Has Bands for Soldiers
From England; Silence for
Cripples From France.
when do we eatr'

when do we eatr
This very compact ana most unsen-
timental collection Of syllables deserves
prominence as the first greeting given
TO their native land by the four thous-
and and odd American soldiers that ar
rived here yesterday aboard the Brit
ish transport Mauretania.
Whatever emotions were bubbling
IN the hearts Of these young men who
had spent nine months IN air service
training camps in England (they
hadn't had the luck to get TO France
for active service). the words that
,prang to their lips concerned food
elbow" they call it in the army. 1t
was funny to hear the unanimous yell
concerning nourishment that went up
when the Mayor under his tall hat
climbed from the police yacht Patrol
and mounted the gangway OF the
transport as she lay off Tompkinsville
early yesterday morning.
It rather dampened the made to or
der heroes of the affair, but it was the
most natural query in the world. The
returning troops had no desire to be
treated as heroes, preferring to leave
the hero business, as many of the Of
ficers and men said after they landed,
70 the boys that really had the great
chance to risk their lives in France.
The Mauretania's khaki clad company
we're somewhat amazed at the extraor-
binary character OF the welcome ex-
tended to them. From the moment that
the Mayor and mis- committee boarded
the big Cunarder as she lay In the
navy anchorage off Tompkinsville I'M
I'll ferryboats landed the men at Long
Island City in the afternoon there was
y tremendous TO do every moment
and episode of which was plainly sur
prising to the soldiers. They couldn't
make it," as one OF them said.
No Reception for Wounded Men.
For them was an official reception
committee. the terrific blasting OF
"histles and sirens. brass bands, Red
cross attentions. hot grub on the Gu
nard pier at West Fourteenth street
md n TREMENDOUSLY noisy and excita-
lie welcome. and while all this was
going on there were being landed at
lioboken HOO wounded men from the
'roopship Northern Pacihc--men that
had taken part in the battles in
France, where the American army
proved it had the punch.
There was no reception committee
for these lads who had dared and
suffered so much, many Of whom in
Hnnrnn1 t4 ~,
crippled. No official reception COM
mittee with plug hats and long tailed
coats went down the bay to greet the
wounded heroes. No prominent citi-
;:ens awaited them at the pier to shake
hands with them and to hurry hot food
20 them. Nobody thought to provide
brass bands for their entertainment
Nobody bothered to ask them how
glad they were TO get back TO America.
1t was an astounding contrast, this
reception Of The Mauretania's troops
from training camps and the sorry
welcome given to the lads that had
paid heavily for their courage in as
hard fighting as the world ever saw.
Moody seemed able to explain last
night why so much fuss was made
over one contingent and so little wac
Zone 10 make happy the home coming
IT the other. Officers in charge Of the
wounded lads brought to this port BY
The Northern Pacific were chagrlned
and saddened by the neglect of their
len displayed by city authorities and
'ocieties that make II their business Ia
represent civic feeling.
Why. damn 1t ALL" said one Of the
ulcers aboard the Northern Pacific
IL wasn't so mad I would feel like
'ryfng. Here are these boys with their
wounds still bleeding and nobody takes
he trouble to call out L band in their
l!onor."
Three Transports Came u .forc,
Not one soul begrudged the soldiers
"rrlving on the Mauritania a single
feature OF the welcome accorded to
them, but It was difficult to compre-
bend why the Mayor and many others
concentrated go much energy and at
tcntlon upon that particular company
They were not even the first contin.
gent TO arrive here. Troops have been
brought by at least three transports
\ before the Mauretarha bucked her way
10 New York through northwest gale
Nothing was done to greet or en-
tertain these early contingents, al
though many OF them wounded and
i'll, richly deserved a warm reception
All of a sudden. for no apparent
reason at all, Mayor Hylan and WILL
lam r. Hearst call out Tammany
ard the Independence League "a
Nhoop it up for the fourth or nth
contingent to get back home, never
II seemed, giving a thought to the
great company of wounded men that
were being landed Just across the
river from the Mauretania's dock.
The Northern Pacific arrived In
Sort on Sunday night as did the
Nlauretania, but the troops aboard her
we're not disembarked until yesterday
morning. As quickly ms the heavy
task could ne accomplished the
wounded and sick were loaded into
Snbulances and sent to the army
hospitals in Staten Island Jersey City
md Hoboken OF the loo men, COO
wore walking cases" that is to say
Eole to look out for themselves pretty
we'll. The whole contingent was In
charge of Lieutenant Commander r
G. Davis of the>Navy Medical Corps,
They came from every battlefield
where American troops fought in
lrance and Flanders. The units rep.
resented were, by regiments: Infantry
3oath, l2sth, 826th, 9Th. 26th, 2sth
r20tl. 18th, 41th. 3osth. 3Oth, 35th
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