Evening journal., 1918-12-17
: RETURN
FROM WAR Zone
Nine Thousand More Arrive
Home on the Liner
Leviathan
GREAT WELCOME
GIVEN BY GOTHAM

{ Khaki clad veterans of Americas over
s seas service. the liner Leviathan, which
foiled i've submarine attacks while
transporting troops to France, docked
yesterday.
The vessels speed saved her from
torpedoes. according TO officers who
told for the FIRST time Of the former
Vaterland's encounters with U-boats
Mono of the projectiles came danger
ousiy near. they said, and the big ship
was at close quarters with the foe only
once
The former German liner came up
Me Bay amid a din surprising In
volume any previous welcome to a re-
turning troopship. OF her sick and
wounded-i4 officers and ! .42i men
the majority were on deck. some with
crutches and canes while her rails
Were lined with almost 5000 naval Of
flcers and men, veterans Of the sub
marine defense patrol off the French
and British Goats. and $500 soldiers,
with some of their commanders, heroes
OF the bitter fighting in the final weeks
Of the war.
The naval contingent. largest Of any
which has returned home since the
signing OF the armlstice, included men
both from fleet and aviation units
which had fought U-boats and convey
ed merchant ships In and out Of Allied
ports.
Major General Barnett, head OF the
Marine Corps, returned from two and
one-half months spent in Paris and at
fhe front. enthusiastic over the record
OF his lighters from Chateau-1hierry to
the end Of the war. He said the ma
rines were wonderful, and the only
complaints were those of the wounded
denied a chance to get back TO the
'front.'.
ITS like this" said The General. III
q man loses an arm he says 1t might
have been leg and II he loses a leg
he philosophers: II might have been
both and II he loses an eye he reasons,
1t might have been my head Most OF
them, find. are worrying for fear they
will be Of no further use to their coun-
try amt am going TO put forth every
EFFORT to find places for these wounded
marines In the service II they desire"
Among the army men aboard were
as6 Officers and men and a number of
wounded from the Second AntI-Aircraft
Battalion. which was in action on the
Toul front when hostillties ceased
They are from California, In command
OF Major James w. Riley Other aerial
units were taken on at Liverpool.
Many OF the returned Americans
wore decorations for bravery. Among
them were Lieut.. G. Vallng. OF Dun
kirk, n. Y. and Lieut. Leslie |. Faber.
OF indianapolis, each OF whom had
brought down i3 enemy alrplanes. for
which they were awarded the insignia
OF the French Legion of Honor. An
other soldier who had been honor I'd
was Sergeant Carter NJ. Smith, OF De-
troit. Mich a member OF the i3ist In
fantry OF the 33d Division, who wore
the ribbons OF Belgian and French |
orders.
Sergeant Smith went into the SOM |
me lighting on August g. he said. The |
next day A German high-exploslve shell !
took OF his left leg
Homer Weeks. Of Epworth, Ca. fifth /
Infantry. came home with wound re-
ceived in the attack OF the 30th Divi-
sion on the Hindenburg line near ST. |
Quentin.
There never was bunch OF men /
who could fight like the 30th," he said. |
1.-THE only klck we had was our Of /
ficers would not let us go ahead as fast
as we wanted TO. The Boche Is some /
scrapper, but we showed him some
thing new in that game. Home by !
Christmas Is all we are asking now"
lohn l.. Jackson. OF Bridgeport. Ala, /
OF The same regiment. had his leg still /
IN splints from a shrspnel IN the SOM /
mc battle. We'll, It was some fight, /
and we all sure did go after them" he /
said. This little old wound OF mine |
j. nothing to what some Of the BOYS |
got and the only thing feel sorry /
'ipout was that my wound stopped me /
just when the gong was getting good |
Sergeant Wilbur L. Simcoe, i0sih In |
fantry, Of Elmira, ~ y. said that after |
bis company OF 30 men had engaged
IN the lighting on September %, there |
were only 40 left alive and unwounded !
Private Robert NJ. Taylor, Of Fir.
Wash, 3Sth Infantry wounded az Cha
teau-Thierry. arrived with his right leg
IN bapdage
Among others OF the 27th and Both
DIVISIONS who came home bearing
wounds OF honor were Lieut. n. W.
PINTO, OF Racine, Wis, and Private |
Adolph II. Leissner, also OF Racine.
Many OF the troops brought trophies |
OF battle. and one soldier. Private |
james w. Mcdaniel. Of Alabama who |
served in the Rainbow Division, march, |
ed proudly down the gangplank wear
ing 'pickelhaubex' hedmet, which he /
had captured In the Argonne Forest,
aud carrying German rifle over his |
shoulder.
Although he was esssed and so sew
erely wounded in the chest at Chapelle /
last August that surgeons found IL I
necessary to remove one Of his lungs,
Lieut. Z. A. Zust Of Lagrange, H.. re- !
turned to the front members Of his /
company said in pointing out the Off /
Ger as one of the recovered cases on 4
The transport.
Lieut.. l.. d. White af-New York. who /
20 lost a<lung at the battle Of Belle
curt praised the men OF the National
Guard and the National Army-the 27fh
Sd 559is DivisiO1s-vyho fought with +
NE British in Northern France and {
Flanders. He had lost his respect for
Inc Germans. he said, after he saw The
ingenious defcnses of the Hindenburg
line abandoned under the combined /,
Brltlsh and American attacks. Prisoners
told him. he declared, that the Ameri-
can attack was the flercest they had
met IN the entire war. OF his own .di-
vision. the Both, Lieutenant White said
tney were poor trench fighters a. IL 7
was next. to Impossible TO hold tbom i
eask, when there was fight up