The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-04-21
KANSANS IN U.S.A.
Easter Was a Great Day for
Returning 35th Men.
$50 Landed at Newport News
Radiant With Joy.
OTHERS DOCK At new YORK
Reception Came as a Surprise
to Kansas Boys.
Air Split With Cheers at Sight
of SunflOWers.

Newport News. Va. April 21.-Kan-
sas fighting men-559 of them-came
into Newport News Sunday wildly anx-
ious for the first greeting from folks
from home and yelling their frenzied
joy at the sight of anything and every
thing that was truly American. Boys
from the 10th headquarters train,
the S9th hospital detachment and
numerous casuals from various units
were aboard the DeKalb which sailed
up the James liver and landed the
units of the former Kansas and Mis-
souri, national guards.
Easter Sunday was a day of real
celebration for the men aboard the
DeKalb. Just as the men from the
10th engineers were welcomed in
New York harbor Saturday. so the
reception to the second contingent of
Kansans in the Thirty-fifth division
was given the same spectacular setting
for the men on the Dekalb. Cover
nor. Allen and members of the recep
ton committee from Kansas-many
of them friends or relatives of return
ing soldiers who Travelled east at their
own expense-sailed down the James
river in a tug boat to meet the re-
turning Kansas fighters.
Reception a Surprise.
The decks of the big transport were
lined with Kansas boys. They were
watching the boats on the river. But
they were not looking for a reception
committee from Kansas.
Suddenly the Kansans on the tug
unfurled a large sunflower banner. 1t
caught the eyes Of the boys on the De-
Kalb instantly. There was a roar of
applause noise that must have
meant death and hospitals and famine
and sorrow for the running Huns
but it was a screech of joy from the
L.
ers and mothers and sweethearts
'Its the fellers from home,' yelled
a big buck private, "and they're here
tn5see u.s. <Hooray for Kansas.
And all the way up the river the
cheering continued 1t was Sunday
Easter Sunday. But it is doubtful if
Newport News ever before celebrated
such an Easter. The men from Kan
sas and the men from Missouri were
in charge of everything. They were
out admiring their old friend the Ford,
they looked admiringly into shop win
dows-American shop windows-and
they grinned and tipped their hats and
saluted the girls-reaI, true, red
FLOODED, honest to goodness American
girls. And it was an Easter the dough-
boys, the officers. the reception COM
mittee and Newport News will never
forget.
Up in Camp Mills, the boys from the
10th engineers were asking questions
--hunureoS OF thousands OF questions
-about the folks out in Kansas and
the, crops and the spring election and
many questions about--well about just
those people that the Boys cared most
about. Often to a personal friend the
fighting man slipped a sideways ques-
tions about-well, about Her.
Once the formality of inspections
were out of the way, the fighting men
were given chance to see little bit
of America just as she is today. And
on the trip from New York harbor to
Camp Mills was a movie show that
the doughboys had dreamed about and
thought about and cried for during
the long days and months in the
trenches-the movie of American
farms and bungalows and boys on
roller skates and Ford cars, American
posters and shops and factories and
most of all, real Americans themselves
All of the units which returned to
New York harbor and the Newport
News were former national guards
men in the 35th division. 1t is the
first large organization of Kansas
fighting men returned to America
The headquarters detachment, sani-
tasry squad, headquarters train, mill.
tary police company, sanitary detach-
ment and mail detachment. Many