The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-06-18
Triumphant Welcome
 Accorded Eisenhower
(Continued from Page D

Pennsylvania avenue, the capitals parade route of heroes.
 Welcome Ike" the banner says, and Welcome Ike" is what this 54-year- former Kansas farm boy is going to be hearing from millions of Americans for the next five days.
 This is the capitals day to let General Ike know what it thinks of him. Tomorrow will be New York's turn. On Thursday, Abilene and Kansas-his home town and state will welcome their best-loved son.
 But the capitals turn came first, and half a million Americans from all the states laid aside their labors for a while to shout Welcome Ike".
 For everybody-the congress, the President, the $1,4OO-a-year govern ment girl from Topeko-this was Eisenhower Day..
 For the Texas-born Kansan it was day such as only a few Grant, Sherman, Dewey and Persh- ing-have known before him.
 His was triumph as great as the greatest, and because of that he must ride past cheering thousands as Pershing and others had done; he must address the congress and receive its tribute; he must ac- cept the keys of the city, attend o ,,oo ,,,r,,otl, o;vic 1,,rcbpop ral1 m the President and, in the evening, be honor guest at White House dinner.
 But because he is what he is, Ike Eisenhower couldn't take it alone. In Europe the toher day he said he looked forward to his homecoming with fear and trembling.
 55 Vets With Him
 So winging home with him, in a quartet of four-engined skymasters, were 55 other returning warriors, 26 of them enlisted men, to share his honors
 Twentyof misunderstanding his son, It. John Eisenhower were fellow Kansas. One, Sgt. Walter P. Sapp, was a fellow resident of Abi- lene.
 And one of the five-star generals companions on his day of glory was a private-Pfc. Vernon H. Jancen of Lorraine, Kan.
 Escorted by 100 Thunderbolt fight CTS rendezvousing with the Sky masters 50 miles outside the capl- tai, Eisenhower and his party flew home to triumph as honorably won as any Caesars.
 But this general came home bear ing no spells fwar. All he brought was the gift of victory, and the confidence that the Allies who won it could also win the peace.
 The Allies, he said the other day, "are going to have peace even If they have to fight for it.
 Before coming here to receive the tribute of his own people, Eisenhow- CT had bene feted and honored by the British, the Russians and the French.
 London made him an honorary citizen and gave him sword. Bri- tain's King George awarded him the rarely bestowed Order of Merit. He was the first American to receive it.
 Marshal Gregory Zhukov pre- sented him the order of victory, view of the Kremlin framed by star of rubies and diamonds. Gen. eral Charles De Gaulle gave him Frances highest honor, the Cross of Liberation.
 But this modest man - who said in London that the honors were not for him but for "all the Allied men and women who have served with me in this war" - was looking for no such gaudy gifts from his own people on this occasion.
 His people had something better to offer - the simple, deeply-felt, gratefully uttered words, Welcome Ike" There was none of the mili- tary trappings usually brought out for returning heroes. The country was still at war, and the armed might which would otherwise have been mustered for General Ike was being re-deployed against Japan.
 Crowded Schedule
 Today's schedule was a crowded one. First chance to greet the home corners at the National Airport was given to their relatives, some 30 of them including Mrs. Eisenhower. For her the homecoming meant a double reunion with both husband and son. She last saw her huband year and half ago. her son last January.
 To General George c. Marshall, Army chief of staff was assigned the role of official welcomers at the airport. with Secretary of War Hen ry L. Stimson doing the honors next at the Pentagon.
 Then the parade-in open recon noissance cars wits police motorcy- cle and scout car escort down flag lined avenues past massed thousand of spectators to the Capi- tol.
 The route lay along streets through which other heroes have ridden. Twenty-six years ago it was General of the Armies John J. Per- Ehin0 the ontv man in the armed