The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-06-27
OCALA HAD AN
HAPPY EVENING
HEARTFELT Welcome to the Boys In
o. ID. and Blue Who Have
Returned Home


evening, when it gave a homecoming
celebration to those of our boys In
khaki Or blue who have served in the
army or navy and received their hon
orable discharges.
The boys and their friends from the
country began coming in about noon,
and by six o'clock the square and ad-
jacent streets were swarming with
them. Including those of the city
about $50 were present, some not be-
ing able to attend, and probably half
cur men In the service being yet in
the navy, in Europe or on the way
home.
The celebration began with supper.
The Ocala House dining room was the
mess hall, and in this big room. beau
tifully decorated. "chow" was served
On the outside wall was spread the
great Marion county service flag, with
its hundreds of stars, and the flags
of America, France, Britain, Belgium
and Italy, under which millions of
brave men have fought and died dur
ing the last five years. The men came
to the mess hall in regular camp fash
ion, in single file, and as each reached
the door he found a committee of
Ocala's lovely girls, one of whom gave
him his admission ticket by pinning a
Shasta daisy on his blouse or coat
lapel. Most of the boys, especially
from the country, wore their uni
forms, but there was no mistaking
the bronzed faces and squared shoul-
H. II 8
hadn't been known. Once inside the
mess hall. each man was taken charge
of by the committee on eats. He was
given plate and fork and taken down
one line of tables and up another, his
plate being piled high in course of
the trip, and when he arrived at the
end he was handed "a glass of iced
tea and told to come back after more
if he wanted it, and at any rate to
come back for dessert "Gee!" said
one well-cared for doughboy, after a
charming young matron had piloted
him around the room and stacked his
plate till it looked like a young pyra-
mid, "we never had such mess ser
geants in the army"
1t was a sure-enough specimen OF
a democratic army, officers and pri-
Yates all mixed up and receiving the
same treatment, and being just Tom,
Dick and Harry TO each other, like
they were before the war. They ate
in any old place; if one couldn't find
a chair, he stood up or sat down on
his heels. Capt. Drake and bunch
of Company A boys out on the back
piazza found the scenery quite famil-
lar.
After the substantials were dispos-
ed of. there was cake and ice cream,
and cigars and cigarettes, and-well,
soldiers uniform is built to let out
and a sailors is already let out.
| After supper, came music and
| speeches. An addition to the pro-
gram was made when the flag was
lowered. The city flag having been
worn out, the fire department bor-
rowed that of the primary school
which was almost as badly battered
but then it was the flag. all the same
and Hamp Chambers, who had the OF
flee of lowering it thought it wouldn't
be just exactly right to take it down
entirely informally. So he gathered
a bunch of young sailors-strange il
is what a lot of the boys went dowI
to the sea in ships from this HIGHLAND
ccunty-and as the band played &C
say can you see by the dawn's earl!
light" the colors were slowly and rev
erently lowered, while the soldier
and sailors stood at attention will
hands raised in salute and the civil
ians uncovered. There was a Ittl'
hitch when the flag caught on a gu.
wire, but it was an impressive cere
money, especially to those who re
membered that In this war only Am
erican hands have lowered the Amer
lean flag. and that only at sunset.
: The program as printed in yester
5 days Star was carried out with littl
change The veterans of our oftel
l revived band turned out, and tho al
most without practice did honor 3
T the occasion. Mr.. L. w. Duval pre-
r sided with his usual tact and efficien
: cy. DR.. Herndon, who has been sec
D ond to no man in patriotic work. OF
: fered the invocation. Mr.. w. K Ze
: wadski, on behalf of the city, elo
? quently welcomed the boys home. Nd
Il F. E. Harris most appropriately CAV
] the welcome of the veterans of tn
: war between the states TO the vet
i Grams of the world war. "Over Here
was spoken by Alfred Green, res
n orator, tho barely out of his teen,
= and "Over There" was briefly bu
d pithily depicted by John Thomso
n who has been there James Metcal
could not be present for the navy, bu
T his place was well taken by Sibbal
i Wilson. Mr.. W. T. Gary, in a shoI
: but interesting talk, told of the tas
of the Welfare Workers. Captai