The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-09-13
HIsToRYs GREATEST PAGEANT.

HISToRYs GREATEST PAGEANT
The greatest pageant of history will be staged in Wash
ingon on September IT, when the First division of the
American army will pass in review along historic Penn
sylvana avenue. 1t is the same highway along which
the Union army passed in review at the close of the civil
war; and the march of the First division will be the mark
by which an epoch measured just the march of the
Blue army marked the close of and the dawn Of
a new day in 1865
The men whose measured tread will be heard upon our
streets that day regulars. They are the men who
surprised and delighted Paris two years ago. when they
landed upon French shores These the the Eng
fish critics called looking blokes," meaning that
these Americans boys appeared to be thoroughly business
like and NOT bent on holiday These are the men
whom France acclaimed with surprise as combat troops
because they looked ready to fight that moment.
These men of the First army division were first to
fight and last to leave. They suffered more because
more was asked of Them They were the men who first
tasted German steel and the first to make the German
run They were the men who sent to France to
show that we really had army, and sent there
to act ten times big they really were They were
asked fight with only half enough guns, and did it to
perfection They went up against every hardship every
privation known to war; including pressed upon
them by unhinng folks right here in the United States
vet they never wavered. They were American regular
army mon and did the job to perfection.
Remember back in those days when down in every soul
there shrinking and horror because the German
army was slowly but surely whipping the world We
DID have such time that although thank God, the
nightmare of those moments is quickly dispced under
the sunshine of today In those days. when had just
entered upon war, when knew what gigantic ter
ror would grip the world, when every mother hugget
her son to her heart franticay because in her minds
eye she saw him lying dead in France-n those days W.
sent this First division and this Persng to head of
the Hun-AND THEY DID THE TRICK They saileC
the ocean in period of gloom before had mastered
the submarine problem and when seemed to be in
blue funk generally They landed singing and cheer
ing: $50 this is France-where's the trouble?"
They broke the back of the German military system
and it only after Pershng himself had refused t.
let the American troops fight in widely separated fields
rather than in compact wellorganzed American force
The commandern-chief of the A. E. F. had politics t.
endeavoring to keep the American army from being
great force, that the United States could not have
too great place AFTER the war. He watched tina
situation just long enough, and in measured American
soldier terms that must have been wonderful to hear
let the allied command know just "where it got off"
After that there was a solicited American army, an
it won the These of the First division
titled to much praise any that ever lived
earth. They typify the regular army man. and it wa
the regular army on which the burden of the war fe
in the early days.
There have been great marches in history from tn
days when the Greeks beat off the Persian hordes an
changed the course of events for all time There hav
been great battles and turning tides which have set tn
course of civilization all anew But of all the crises tina
have been met, that which the American army faced
France is the greatest No can tell waht the worl
would have been had Germany conquered.
And this little old regular army of ours was the poin
of the battcring that broke down the German lin,
broke up the German defense and broke into the heart
of yellow and black
Therefore, this parade will be the martial symbol
the turning tide The crisis is over the war is won an
new day for the whole world is dawnng
These regulars of the First division are the men VIII
started the tide the other way Washington Times