The evening leader., 1919-01-08
RETURNING YANKS
A HOMESICK LOT
Never Want to Look Statue OF
Liberty in the Face
Again.
ARE Wild TO GET ASHORE
GWhen Get the United States Under
My Feet I'm Going to Stay There"
Said One EIomesick Sol
dier.

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 It's 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 RATS to the bottom
most portfolio, are yearnlng faces.
They know the coming OF the cutter
is q 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 a faint 'ee-yow!" comes
! from one or two thrOats, and then rip
! pies along the deck increasing in vol
urne and ShrillneSs till 1t becomes a
wild wh0op, reverberating across the
OF DoyAsh delight, of greeting for the
little cutter load of civilians-the first
group of Americans the soldiers have
seen in months.
somewhere in that shout there is q
plaintive note, and you get it's mean
ing II you are one of those first civil
lans who board the transports as the
group on the United States cutter In
migrant do, scrambling Up a ladder
while the boats are under way, for
the troopshipS lose no time in starting
their wheels at the signal from the
customs officers.
Does it feel good to get back?" you
ask the first boy who grabs your hand
on deck.
"Good? he repeats fervently.
Gosh! Nothing ever felt so good in
the world. You can tell 'em all when
get the United States under nv feet
lis going to stay there. Some bird
said when he got back from the war he
never wanted to look the statue of
liberty in the face again. That's me
In little bit she's going to see me
coming home for the last time"
1t was Tom O'Donnell of Chicago
VINO made that long speech. He was
one of tho third oopc+r,o4:o,
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 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 pears its soldier cargo on toward
the North river till Fort Hamilton has
oeen blurred into the morning mist
ana the masonry giants of lower
broadway stand out against the north
ern sky.
"GIad I'm an American" I,
ana the homecoming soldiers, off,
'ers and men alike, lean against the !
all and drink in the beauty of it all
IS II they never could get enough. An !
'ld-ume bark swings at anchor close
" her four masts and square rigging ]
picturesque contrast to the crazy- !
unit camoufiage of half a dozen ocean :
arges moored near her. Ferries load. J
q with New Workers going to work
curry by, while their passengers wava ]
andkerchiefs and cheer the home
'ard-bound soldiers.
An officer of the aviation cornS-
lese hrst troops to come back are :
early all of the air service-takes q
ing, deep breath.
THE most wonderful roadstead in
he world. It's glorious. I'm glad I'm
4 American" he said. -.
You said something, brother" said -,
private who was leaning over tbe ~
ii at his elbow. And the officer was ST
o intent in his survey to note that or
subordinate had addressed him with. of
It saluting. lin