The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-08-23
FIRST DIVISION PARADE WILL BE SEPTEMBER 27TH Gen. Pershing Will Lead March of Veterans in New
 York City. PRESIDENT WILSON
 WILL REVIEW UNIT They Fought 220 Days At the Front and Were First
 In Lines.

New York, Aug. 23.-Gen. Pershing, commander-in-chief of the A. E. F. has cabled the War Department he will sail for home about September 1. He will lead a parade of the First Division Regulars, 30, 900 strong, with complete fighting equipment, up Fifth avenue, this city, on or about Sep tember 27. President Wilson will re- view the parade, as will many other national state and city officials, it is said. Gen. Pershing and the First Division also are to parade in Wash ington.
 The First Division, which was the first American division to arrive in France and the last to leave for home will give a complete exhibit of what a full American division in fight
 ing trim looks like. It will have its
 infantry ranks, it's artillery with guns
 and caissons, its hospital corps with
 ambulances, its field kitchens and
 even its "delousing plant will be in
 the parade.
 The First Division can best be de-
 scribed by the lines from the song
 which go:
 First in peace and first in war and
 they don't care a whoop what they're
 lighting for.'
 Ist, First in Everything.
 The First Division was not only the first American division to arrive in | France, 1t was also the first in a fight ing sector, the first to fire a shot at
 the Germans, first to attack, first to
 conduct a raid, first to be raided, first
 to throw hand grenade, first to cap | ture prisoners, first to inflict casual
 ties, first to be cited singly in general ! corps, army commanders and general | staff officers produced from its ranks. If there are any "irsts,'' the first Division has them.
 Parade in Full RegaIia. The first ships to sail carrying the 1 First Division men got away August 19 from Brest. It will give Americans ! their first opportunity to see a di- vision with full equipment on parade. | The equipment sufficient for the di- vision has reached the United States 1 and the First will be fitted out just as i though it were going into battle. The division will return under com
 mand of Major-General B. F. Me 1 Glachlin. It is composed of the 18th, 18th, 26th and 18th Infantry Regi- ments, the 9th, 9th and 7th Artillery Regiments, the 1st Engineer Regiment | ana train, the Ed Field Signal Bat
 talion, and the Sd, 4th and 5th Am
 bulance Companies and Field Hos- | pital.
 22O Days at Front. | These units fought gallantiy | through many of the major engage | ments of the war. The Division was | 220 days in the front line. It cap- tured 163 officers and 6,304 enlisted | men of the German army. In ma- | terial it captured 119 pieces of field
 artillery, sixty-two trench mortars | and 413 machine guns. Its casualties | totaIled 21 SIP men, of whom All ! were killed or died of wounds. The | replacements sent to the division
 totaIled 30,206 officers and men The
 soldiers of the division won 35S Dis | tinguished Service Crosses. As the units arrive they will pro- | ceed to Camps Mills and Merritt | where they will remain until the day l of the parade. After the parade in New York the division will be trans | ferred to Camp Meade.