The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1919-01-06
Returning; YANKS
A HOMESICK LOT
Never Want to Look Statue Of
Liberty in the Face
Again.
ARE WILD 70 GET ASHORE
"When Get the United States Under
My Feet Pm Going to Stay There"
Said One tlomeslck Sol
tlier

SdlQ WIG IlOlltCoiSE WV
der.
New York.-To understand the feel
ings of the Americans boys released
! from the war and pouring back into
! the United States as fast as steamers
can bring them from Europe, one must
have known the pangs Of acute home
| sickness.
They are downright hOmesick.
You read it in the hungry eyes that
peer from the troopships when the gov
ernment revenue cutter with its little
handful Of Americans In civilian
clothes runs alongside From every
inch Of space along the gunwale, from
yardarms and rigging, from the top
most pile of life rafts to the bottom
most portfolio, are yearning faces.
They know the coming of the cutter
is sign of deliverance after the trans.
port at the threshold of home has been
detained at overnight quarantine off
Fort Hamilton. Now they will be able
to go on up the bay.
Faint "Ee-yow" Grows to Wild Yell.
At first faint "ee-yow!' comes
from one or two throats, and then rip,
pies along the deck increasing in vol.
ume and shrillness till it becomes q
wild whoop, reverberating across the
bay.~A month agoit would have served
for a battle cry. Today it is Il shout
of boyish delight, Of greeting for the
little cutter load of civlians-the first
group of Americans the soldiers have
seen in months
Somewhere In that shout there is a
plaintiye note, and you get its mean
ing if you are oneiof those first civil
ians who board sthe transports as the
group on the United States cutter I'M
migrant do. scrambling up a ladder
while the boats are under way, for
the trQopships lose no time in starting
their wheels at the signal from the
custoins officers. fa|9E sglf
o'Does it feel good to get backY" you
ask the first boy who grabs Your hand
on deck.
"GoodTl,a he4i repeats feryently.
Gosh ! Nothing ever felt SO good in
the world, You can, tell 'em all. when
I get the, United States, >unler my feet
it's going to stay there. Some bird
said when he got back from the war he
never wanted toslook the astatue of
liberty in the face again. That's me.
In a. little bit, she's going to see me
coming home for the last time"
1t was Tom O'Donnell of Chicago
who made that long speech. He was
one of the third CONSTITUTIONAL com
pany aerial service, who came home
on the British boat Orca, and he and !
more than 10000 other "Yanks" re-
turned from Europe this week and are
now at Camp Mills L. l., waiting to
be mustered out.
AS these trOopships come through
the Narrows into the upper bay the
sun is rising like a huge red ball above
the roofs of Brooklyn, silhouetting its
spires and towering buildings and CLINT
ing across the rIppling bay. Through
an avenue of bristling masts the trans-
port bears its soldier cargo on toward
the North river till Fort Hamilton has
been blurred into the morning mist
and the masonry giants of lower
Broadway stand out against the north
ern sky.
"Glad I'm an American"
And the homecoming soldiers, Off |
GERS and men alike, lean against tho
rail and drink in the beauty of it all |
rs if they never could get enough. An |
1ld-time bark swings at anchor close |
by, her four masts and square rigging |
n picturesque contrast to the crazy !
luilt camouhage Of half a dozen ocean /
)arges mOOred near her. Ferries load. |
ID with New Workers. going to work
icurry by, while their passengers wave
and cheer the home
soldiers.
An officer of the aviation corps
hese first troops to come back are
nearly all of the air service-takes a
ong, deep breath.
"The most wonderful roadStead in
he world. It's glorious. I'm glad I'm \
in American" he said.
you said something, brother" said
/ private who was leaning over tho
all at his elbow. An1 the officer was
90 intent in his survey to note that
subordinate had addressed him with
'ut saluting. lt