The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-02-20
RETURNING YANkS
A H0N'ESICK LOT
Never Want to Look Statue of
Liberty in the Face
Again.
ARE WILD TO GET ASHORE
"When Get the United States Under
My Feet Pm Going to Stay There"
Said One Homesick 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
eminent 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 yearning faces.
They know the coming of the cutter
is 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 threats, and then rip
pies along the deck, increasing in vol
ume and shrillness till it becomes a
wild whoOp, reverberating across the
bay. A month ago it would have served
for battle cry. Today it is shout
of boyish delight, of greeting for the
little cutter load of civilians-the first
group of Americans the soldiers have
seen in months.
hor in n oh 11t scy<
plaintive note, and you get its mean
ing if you are one of those first civil
ians who board the transports as the
group on the United States cutter I'm
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
IN deck.
"GOOd?" he repeats fervently. |
Gosh Nothing ever felt so good in
he world You can tell 'em all when
get the United States under my feet
It's going to stay there. Some bird
aid when he got back from the war he
lever wanted to look the statue of
liberty in the face again. That's me.
n little bit she's going to see me
oming home for the last time"
1T was Tom ODonnel1 of Chicago
rho made that long speech. He was
ne of the third CONSTITUTIONAL COM
any aerial service, who came home
n the British boat Orca, and he and
lore than 10000 other "Yanks'' re-
urned from Europe this week and are
e mustered out
AS these troOpShipS come through
he Narrows into the upper bay the ]
IN is rising like a huge red ball above
lie roofs of Brooklyn, silhouetting it's
)ires and towering buildings and CLINT
e across the ripping bay. Through
4 avenue of bristling masts the trans
ort bears it's soldier cargo on toward J
lie North river till Fort Hamilton has .
cen blurred into the morning mist
Id the masonry giants of lower +
roadway stand out against the north v
n sky. i
"GIad I'm an American" y
And the homecoming soldiers, Off :,
rs and men alike, lean against the
il and drink in the beauty of it all !,
if they never could get enough. An 8
1-time bark swings at anchor close e
:, her four masts and square rigging Il
picturesque contrast to the crazy
lit camoufiage of half dozen ocean r
rges moored near her. Ferries load N
with New Workers going to work n
TRY by, while their passengers wave u
and cheer the home 1!
rd-bound soldiers. u
An officer Of the aviation corps :,
sse first troops to come back are Il
arly all of the air service-takes a 7
Is, deep breath. "
The most wonderful roadstead in b
, world. It's glorious. I'm glad I'm re
American" he said. u
You said something, brother" said a.
private who was leaning over the a.
at his elbow. And the officer was h
intent in his survey to note that OF
had addressed him With as
saluting. st