New-York tribune., 1919-02-18
IS Vets March as Machine
Under Satvos of Cheers

1t was exactly II o clock Wnen 'he
first straight line of helmeted soldiers
of the 369th Infantry, U. s. A. New
York's old 15th), marching in solid
formation and stretching from curb to
curb, reached the grandstand at Sin
tieth Street.
For moment there was almost
complete silence, as the throngs Of
men and women gazed upon the dark
skinned warriors who had beaten the
best regiments of veterans the enemy
could send against them.
What the civilians saw was row on
row of the most serious faced, woll
set UP fighting men that have re
turned from overseas duty What the
army officers saw was as we'll drilled
an army organization as Uncle Sam
could hope to produce from any train
ing school-and they explained that
this conclusion meant no reflection
upon the other units that have been
seen on parade in this avenue Of page
ants.
After that first moment there was
no lack of vocal evidence of enthus-
iasm. Governor Smith stood up and
cheered as Justify as the thousands of
school children who lined the avenue
opposite his .eat in the reviewing
stand. Mrs. Vincent Astor, who greeted
the hard-tightng doughboys from an
upper window of the Astor home,
waved her arms and smiled as happily
as did the girls who stood on the
curb below her
Show Perfect Discipline
But it was not a new story to these
wearers of badges Of hcroism- badges
that included nearly every decoration
that hard fighting and reckless self
sacrifice could wm for them. While
there was bedlam on both sides of
the street, there was the most COM
plete discipline among the soldiers.
Every eye continued to face directly
in front. The rhythmic clump, clump
of hobnails on asphalt continued on
beyond the grandstand. Every head in
the reviewing stand was uncovered as
each company paraded before it. The
constant cheering that 9 ccted the
various organizations Was punctuated
by a scattering fire of more personal
saiutations as the various local favor
ties made their appearance
Colonel Hayward was bombardcd
with flowers and greetings from
friends in every block of the long
march
ooh, you BLY, came a voice from
the reviewing stand. "Ain't it great
to be home %
Colcncl Hayward's only answer was
Q most military salute.
tFlowcrs For Colonel HAYWARD
Earlier in the march woman had
rushed through the police lines and
his hands. The big fighter blushed
his thanks, but remembered military
etiquette. He handed the flowers to
friend, who promised TO preserve
them until some hour of The day when
formality would not require that they
be thrust aside.
In spite of the Coloncl's broad
smile ano eager greetings to his
friends, those who knew him best
checks and the evident effect of his
foreign sery ice.
I'm as good as new" he said in
answer to their comments. "Nothing
On my mind right now but the question
Of whether my men are keeping step"
He waived his hand toward the
cheering throngs in the street, indi-
eating that even the best drilled sol
der might forget his feet and lose his
head in the face of such a greeting.
But there was no reason ror this partc-
ular worrY. The dark skinned soldiers
showed thnC their marching was as
fiawless as their fighting.
Cheers for Wounded
The real enthusiasm, however, came
when the automobiles bearing the
wounded, headed by a machine carry
ing Major Lorillard Spencer, made
their appearance. None of occupants
of the autos was too weak to wave
|.
too depressed to smile broadly and bow
in every direction in acknowledgement
Of the cheers that greeted him.
Moreover, the wounded did not feel
that they were bound down by the
hard and fast rules that kept the heads
of the marchers to the front and
caused Colonel Hayward to reject the
flowers that we're handed to him by
half dozen admirers. Sergeant Henry
Johnson, for instance. felt that if the
! city was so anxious to see the man
who had made half company of picked
Boche raiders look foolish, he was not
gong to refuse them that privilege.
so Henry stood up in the back of the
open machine in which he was riding
and made his bow early in the festivi-
ties. Somebody recognized him the IN
slant his machine turned into Fifth
Avenue at Thirty-fourth Street.
HNIt INC DON tlluJ maze the
Dutch be goodl" shouted the unknown
admirer.
Applause Greets Sergeant
Henry arose and bowed. There was
storm Of applause and he bowed
again.
Two blocks up the avenue, while the
sergeant was getting acquainted with
the city all over again, bowing and
smiling to everybody, woman ran
out from the curb and thrust "a bouquet
of lilies into his hand
Il just love 'em" said Henry, grasp
ms it III much the same fashion he
must have held grenades on the night
that he accounted for thirty-sx Ger
mans-four dead and thirty two in
capacltated for further fighting.
FROM that moment until the parade
was over Sergeant Henry and his bou-
quet were the most prominent features
OF the spectacle. His smile and his
graceful gestures were not to be over
looked. Arriving at the reviewing
stand, ne was not in the least awcd by
the silk-hatted 'notables. He waved his
flowers and smiled at them and, judg-
inr from the way Governor Smith,
Aldermen, army and navy officers