| Original caption: “General Dwight D. Eisenhower (left) sitting in the back of a jeep with General George C. Marshall (right), waving to spectators at the airport in Washington. All others are unidentified.” On June 18, 1945, General of the Army Dwight D. ‘Ike’ Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander, Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), arrived at National Airport in Washington, District of Columbia, to the shouts of ‘Ike, Ike!’ He was met by Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall Junior (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) Then he went on to Capitol Hill to address a joint session of Congress. The following morning he was in New York, where 4,000,000 people greeted him as he rode through the streets of Manhattan. All of the attention was heady, but on Friday, June 22, he arrived at the place where the admiration meant the most and where it all began: Abilene, Kansas. Ida Stover Eisenhower (May 1, 1862 – September 11, 1946) was there as well as his brothers. He had left Abilene in June 1911, a raw boned boy from the great plains en route to West Point. On another June day 34 years later he was back — perhaps the best-known figure in the world that day. The Washington, District of Columbia, Evening Star, reported in their Evening Edition on June 18: “Shouting Throngs Welcome Eisenhower — Twenty Bands Play During Parade To Capitol Hill Truman Gives Third Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) to General At White House.” “Cheers echoed from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol today as Washington gave a hero’s welcome to the supreme Allied commander in Europe who led the greatest Allied Army of all time to victory. From the moment he stepped out of his giant transport at 1108 Hours until he faced a joint session of Congress at 1225 Hours, General Eisenhower heard the continual cry of ‘Ike, Ike, Ike’ – the friendly shout from the people who have taken the Five Star General to their hearts. There were formal greetings — from General George C. Marshall, Army Chief of Staff, at the Air Transport Command Terminal, from Secretary of War [Henry L.] Stimson [(September 21, 1867 – October 20, 1950)] at the Pentagon, from the Commissioners in front of the District Building.” “Great Welcome From People.” “But it was the people of Washington who gave ‘Ike’ his real welcome. His progress along the parade route in the vanguard of eighteen Army cars filled with returning veterans was one long cheer. Twenty military and civilian bands played their loudest as the cavalcade moved along.” “As the crowd spotted the slow moving line of cars, they began to shout. The shout swelled in volume when they saw the standing figure in the first car. Paper fluttered down from office buildings as the people – Government workers, housewives, store clerks, school children – hailed their conquering hero.” “Everywhere General Eisenhower looked he could see the faces of the people who had waited for hours in the sun for just a moment’s view of him. Standing in the front row on Constitution venue was a five-year-old girl dressed all in white with a big white bow tied to each pigtail. She was waving a small service flag with a gold star in the center. ‘The flag is for my daddy. He was with General ‘Ike,’ but he got killed.’ the little girl explained. Then she held the flag high, as though at attention.” “United States President Harry S. Truman’s [(May 8, 1884 – December 26, 1972)] part in the city-wide reception for the returning hero came later. At 1430 Hours, Mister Truman presented General Eisenhower with his third Distinguished Service Medal at the White House for exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great responsibility.’” “Families Wait at Runway.” “Long before the giant transports and their escort of a hundred fighter planes were spotted, the families of some of the fifty-four officers and enlisted men who flew home with General Eisenhower were waiting excitedly under beating sun of the runway at the Air Transport Command Terminal. In the naval contingent were Missus Lydia Chapin Kirk [(September 19, 1896 – December 2, 1984)], wife of Vice Admiral Alan G. Kirk [(October 30, 1888 – October 15, 1963)], Naval Commander at SHAEF: his daughters, Ensign Deborah Kirk (born June 26, 1922) of the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES), and Missus Marian Kirk Appel (July 7, 1919 – May 19, 2009), wife of John Appel, and [Admiral Kirk’s] fourteen-year-old son Roger [(November 2, 1930 – January 18, 2023)].” “The boy was the most excited of all. He kept searching the dazzling sky in the apparent hope that the plane would arrive sooner than expected. Roger said he might go in the Navy himself when he grew up – he wasn’t quite sure. ‘This is a day America’s been waiting for a long time,’ said Missus Kirk.” “Also with the naval relatives was Missus Gertrude Gordon Grayson Harrison [(January 12, 1892 – August 8, 1961)], mother of Lieutenant James Gordon Grayson [(January 7, 1918 – May 7, 1997)]. Lieutenant Grayson, on Admiral Kirk’s staff, is a native of Washington and a son of the late Rear Admiral Cary T. Grayson [(October 11, 1978 – February 15, 1938)], former chairman of the American Red Cross and physician to Woodrow Wilson. Missus Virginia Dawes Cragg [(February 20, 1914 – March 4, 1993)], wife of Lieutenant Commander Richard T. Cragg [(June 16, 1912 – June 23, 1997)], was another who waited to welcome the naval group.” “Sky Filled With Planes.” “About 1103 Hours, the sky to the east of the airport began filling suddenly with planes. The Army Band and the official welcomers were crowded behind the ramps from which General Eisenhower was to alight.” “The escort planes circled the field in seeming laziness in little clouds, high above the glittering runways. They returned much slower, roaring over the administration buildings. A single huge silver ship struck out ahead of the rest and zoomed over the runway, followed by others. The families and men of the returning heroes began laughing and waving excitedly.” “Still the planes circled. None had yet approached to alight.” “Suddenly from an angle across the river one of them struck a runway and glided toward the crowd. The escort planes roared overhead at varying heights. It was not planned for any of the escort planes to land, officials said. officials said.” “General George C. Marshall, chief of staff, took his place on the runway a little ahead of all the others and watched the circling planes come up, his hands clasped behind him. Be- side him was Lieutenant General Harold L. George [((July 19, 1893 – February 24, 1986)], commanding General of the Air Transport Command (ATC).” “General Eisenhower Alights.” “Finally, the first ship which had touched land began approaching. great cheer broke from the crowd. The plane was plastered with tiny flags of the United Nations.” “The great silver ship taxied to a stop and a group of soldiers carried the landing ladder forward. General Eisenhower alighted as General Marshall and the other high officials saluted smartly. Missus Eisenhower, walking just behind General Marshall, threw her arms around her husband’s neck. Cameramen rushed forward to catch the scene. Army officers kept back the rest of the crowd with difficulty. All wanted to rush forward and greet the man of the hour. General and Missus Eisenhower waited patiently in front of the plane while close to a hundred cameramen photographed the historic scene.” “The General of the Armies and his wife were lost completely to view, hidden by the small army of photographers and guarding Military Police.” “Finally they had enough pictures and withdrew from the field as the General walked slowly forward with General Marshall on his left and General George on his right. The Army Band struck up the ‘General’s March’ and those privileged to witness the welcome yelled themselves hoarse.” “Salute From Escort Planes.” “General Eisenhower’s staff and those officers and enlisted men detailed to accompany him waited until the General had been welcomed before alighting from his plane and the other planes in his party, which drew up along the runway in perfect alignment.” “The second plane bore the title ‘Sunflower’ – the official flower of General Eisenhower’s home state of Kansas. As the General walked across the runway toward the ATC administration building, the escort planes dived over the field in a sudden thunderous salute.” “Other members of the Eisenhower party now began alighting from their planes — officers and enlisted men. each adorned with plenty of campaign ribbons and many with decorations for valor. They all got a big hand from the crowd.” “The sky was flawless as the planes arrived and only a gentle breeze arrived and only a gentle breeze swept the airport.” “Step into Blistering Sun.” “The party no doubt was grateful for the summer uniforms which, were ordered especially for them, for they stepped into a blistering sun.” “A few minutes later the armada of escort planes had disappeared over the horizon. Five minutes later a lot of them zoomed back low over the field, as if to see whether all was well with the hero they had all was well with the hero they had come to honor.” “Next, those members of the returning party’s families who had been able to come were allowed to visit with them a little while.” “Within less than 25 minutes, the Eisenhower escort was leaving the field. General Eisenhower, accompanied by Admiral Kirk and Lieutenant General Walter Bedell ‘Beetle’ Smith [(October 5, 1895 – August 9, 1961)], his Chief of Staff, led the procession in a command car. “Smiling broadly, General Eisenhower turned to salute the cheering crowd as the car rolled away. Other members of the party followed in open command cars of the same type.” “General Marshall climbed in the back seat of the lead car with General Eisenhower. The two Generals were talking busily as the motorcade pulled away. Usually speaking in low tones, they occasionally raised their voices when the flights of escort voices when the flights of escort planes roared low overhead.” “‘Is that so?’ General Eisenhower shouted once. ‘Wonderful!’” “‘Yes. we think so.’ General Marshall roared back.” “The planes moved farther from the airport and once more their voices became inaudible. Missus Eisenhower, who got two long kisses from her husband even ‘ before he stopped to shake hands with General Marshall, kept putting her arm around his waist as they posed later for pictures.” “Waves to Their Son.” “She said little to him but every time the dashing bulbs gave him a moment’s pause the General turned and smiled deeply into the eyes of his wife. Once she waved to their son, Lieutenant John D. Eisenhower [(August 3, 1922 – December 21, 2013)], standing on tiptoe at the edge of the crowd to see his father.” “Beside Lieutenant John Eisenhower was Missus Elivera Carlson Doud [(October 13, 1878 – September 28, 1960)], Missus Eisenhower’s mother.” “‘My assignment is to keep up with John.’ Missus Doud said. Wiping tears from her eyes, she added. ‘but it’s a tough job with all this going on.’” “‘Thank goodness I don’t have to keep up with the General,’ she continued.” “John, a tall, handsome boy strongly resembling the General, beamed with pride. ‘Lord. I don’t know where I’m supposed to go.’ he said suddenly to his grandmother.” “Party Includes Private.” “‘Excuse me — ‘ he said, patting her on the shoulder. He climbed then into one of the cars farther back, already loaded with other officers and enlisted men who arrived with the General.” “The lowest ranking man in the party was Private First Class Vernon H. Janzen [(March 28, 1922 – April 23, 1946)], veteran of twenty-nine months’ service in the Medical Corps. ‘I was popular on the plane.’ he said when a reporter asked how he had been treated as the ‘low man on the totem pole.’ ‘You see, I’m a medic,’ he replied. ‘And those boys like medics.’ Janzen kept looking for his redheaded wife, Eldora M. “Cherry” Starbuck (June 18, 1924 – August 20, 2020)], who was supposed to come to met him from their home at Lorraine, Kansas.” “In addition to Missus Eisenhower, the only other woman who came close to General Eisenhower in the official welcoming party was Missus Marshall.” “At one time, when eager reporters and photographers pressed too close around them, General Marshall turned and gave an order. Immediately core than twenty-five military police responded and ordered the press men, sod women back about three yards.” “Missus Eisenhower wore a simple black dress, a black hat with pink flowers and high-heeled toeless hoes. Missus Marshall wore a light blue dress. She finally left the two Generals and Missus Eisenhower and sat in the car that was to carry her to the Pentagon and then to the Capitol.” “Fine Weather During Flight.” “The five planes in the Eisenhower party landed on the runway in single file about twenty yards apart. The pilot of General Eisenhower’s plane, Lieutenant Colonel Henry T. Myers [(September 16, 1907 – December 8, 1968)] of Tifton, Georgia, said they left Paris at 0800 Hours Saturday (Washington time) and stopped two and a half hours in the Azores and twenty-six hours in Bermuda.” “‘We had fine weather and smooth sailing all the way,’ Colonel Myers re- ported.” “The five planes stayed in formation over the ocean. flying about a mile apart, he explained.” “The ship in which General Eisenhower returned is the President’s personal plane, and Colonel Myers has been pilot of it for a long time. He took the late President Roosevelt on several of his historic flights.” “All C-54 Transports.” “Colonel Myers explained that the second plane to land here, the Sunflower, is General Eisenhower’s personal plane. The five planes are all Douglas C-54 Skymaster transports.” “Welcomed at the Pentagon which he left three years ago. General Eisenhower drew a thunderous cheer from thirty-two thousand War Department workers when he told them, ‘I bring you the thanks of three million fighting men.’” “Greeted by Secretary of War Stimson as he stepped from the car with General Marshall, the Allied Supreme Commander waved to the crowd.” “Mister Stimson. after only a second’s pause. spoke into the microphone to welcome the General.” “General Eisenhower advanced to the microphone as the crowd again cheered lustily He spoke extemporaneously with his hands elapsed behind his back. emphatically and swiftly.” “Hails Home-Front Cooperation.” “Referring to the co-operation given on the home front, the dis- patch of war munitions when they were most needed, General Eisenhower closed his brief remarks by saying: ‘I bring you the thanks of three million fighting men. I can do no more but certainly I can do no less.’” “The official welcoming ceremony at the Pentagon was over in five minutes.” “Secretary Stimson, wearing a brown straw hat to protect him from the sun, arrived at 1131 Hours and chatted with other War Department officials while awaiting; the appearance of the official car. When General Eisenhower arrived, the Secretary, with hand outstretched, stepped forward to welcome the returning hero. Undersecretary of War Robert P. Patterson [(February 12, 1891 – January 22, 1952)] was the next to shake hands with the General and then followed a brief moment of greeting with Assistant Secretary John J. McCloy [(March 31, 1895 – March 11, 1989)], Assistant Secretary for Air Robert A. Lovett [(September 14, 1895 – May 7, 1986)] and General Brehon B. Somervell [(May 9, 1892 – February 13, 1955)].” “Sharp Salute for Stimson.” “During Mister Stimson’s speech General Eisenhower assumed his favorite atitude with hands clasped behind him. At the conclusion he gave the Secretary a sharp military ;salute and then advanced to the Microphone.” “As General Eisenhower stepped in his car to drive away Private Patrick K. Carioggia [(June 20, 1923 – September 26, 1986)], a twenty-two-year-old wounded soldier whom he had decorated at Bastogne, stepped forward to shake hands with him. ‘Do you remember the old times fighting in Germany?’ the private asked the General.” “‘Yes, I remember.’ General Eisenhower replied. recognizing the veteran. ‘You are the man who drew my picture when you were lying on a stretcher.’” “Private Carioggia, veteran of the 101st Airborne Division, was personally decorated by General Eisenhower after the battle of Bastogne. He received the Bronze Star, the Silver Star and five Purple Hearts for wounds, he said, and is now convalescing at the Tilton General Hospital, Fort Dix, New Jersey. His home is in Syracuse, New York.” “The first of the crowds had taken their places along the two mile [(3.2 kilometer)] parade route by 0900 Hours. Many hours earlier, the city was putting the finishing touches on the day-long celebration.” “Outburst of Cheers.” “Crossing the Memorial Bridge, General Eisenhower entered the District at the Lincoln Memorial at 1155 Hours to an outburst of cheers from thousands. Flanked by a battery of military vehicles and press photographers, the General stood in his car Number One waving and saluting to the cheers and applause. The crowd jammed the sidewalks on both sides of the Lincoln Memorial Circle and filled the west marble tiers of the Lincoln Memorial.” “As the General passed around the memorial circle, crowds surged around the sidewalks and the memorial to get a better view of him as he continued his triumphal entry. Turning off the circle into Twenty-Third Street the entourage swiftly moved along Twenty-Third Street to Constitution Avenue. It turned east on Constitution Avenue at 1157 Hours.” “The General was greeted at the bridgehead by music from the Washington Gas Light Employees’ Band, which could barely be heard above the cheers of the crowd and roars of airplanes.” “Cadets Snap to Attention.” “As he passed around the circle, a double row of cadets from the District of Columbia High School Cadet Corps, on either side the circle, snapped to attention. These cadets lined the parade route from the bridgehead along the length of the processional.” “Just before General Eisenhower’s car, in which he had been standing waving to the crowds, reached Seventeenth Street, he stooped over to converse with an officer in the automobile. Immediately there were mobile. Immediately there were screams from the crowd: ‘Hey stand up and look this way.’” “The General stood up again, all smiles, and waved to the crowd who gave a mighty cheer.” “The throngs were so dense in this area that the motorcycle police has difficulty in keeping them back far enough for the motor vehicles in the parade to pass. On Constitution Avenue at Fifteenth Street, standing in front of a roped-off crowd, was a line of children in the Horace Mann School Papertrooper Division. They were all in white with red belts and hat made of newspapers with flags sticking out of the top. One boy told the others ‘You got to remember to save your hats — they’re paper salvage.’” “Man Collapses From Heat.” “As the parade came down the street the crowd cheered and waved handkerchiefs, flags and bonds. A man standing on the corner of Fifteenth street and Constitution Avenue collapsed from the heat. He was taken to Emergency Hospital by the Red Cross first-aid station volunteers. The Army Air Forces Band of a hundred pieces that played for General Eisenhower March 20, 1945, in Paris, welcomed him at Fifteenth Street and Treasury Place by playing an air forces selection as he passed the corner on his way to the Capitol. The band is headed by Captain George S. Howard [(February 24, 1902 – September 18, 1995)].” “At the official reviewing stand at Fourteenth street and Pennsylvania Avenue, General Eisenhower stood up in his Army car and shook hands with President of the Board of District of Columbia Commissioners John Russell Young [(April 2, 1882 – July 2, 1966)]. He then accepted the keys, to the city, tied with blue and white ribbon. As microphones were handed to the General, Commissioner Young and others on the reviewing stand waved for the crowd to quiet down.” “High Spot of Life.” “General Eisenhower said that in ‘All of my three years as commander in chief, in all my life, I have never been so proud and so thankful as to have been given the key to the Capitol city of my country. This is undoubtedly the high spot in my life.’” “General Eisenhower said he took the key as a symbol of Washington opening ‘its heart to our returning veterans — men who have or who, have been willing to give their all.’” “Commissioner Young and General Eisenhower exchanged brief remarks when the General’s car came up, but the din prevented any one else from knowing what was said. General Eisenhower yelled ‘Hi Joe’ to Assistant United States Army Engineer Commissioner Joseph D. Arthur, Junior [(October 26, 1891 – May 31, 1951)].” “General Eisenhower, looking very, tanned and smiling broadly, waved to the crowd and saluted Engineer Commissioner Charles W. Kutz [(October 14, 1870 – January 25, 1951)]. Despite police lines, the crowd swarmed by the General’s car, and the bumpers virtually pushed the crowd aside as police struggled to make way for the car to rejoin the procession to the Capitol.” “Parade Passes Eleventh Street.” “Applause, yells, shouts of ‘Hello there Ike’ and ‘Welcome home’ greeted General Eisenhower as he passed Eleventh street at 1213 Hours. Adding machine tape, torn newspaper and other confetti-like greetings were tossed from buildings along the Avenue as he passed, preceded by military vehicles and movie cameramen.” “Camera fans along the curb, many of whom had taken up vantage positions several hours before. clicked the shutters of their cameras.” “General Eisenhower received a tremendous ovation from large crowds along Constitution Avenue in the vicinity of the Capitol. Confetti and paper streamers were tossed into the air as the caravan passed by First street and Constitution Avenue about 1215 Hours.” “Uncontrollable for the moment, several hundred persons of a throng of thousands in front of the Capitol, burst through police lines when General Elsenhower’s car paused there and jammed momentarily around the vehicle before Metropolitan, Capitol and military police could force them back.” “Waves to Crowd.” “General Eisenhower seemed not to mind, but waved and smiled repeatedly to the crowds, and to a large group of disabled veterans of the present war who were in a stand especially erected for them.” “Foscolo Hendrick (January 3, 1899 – June 1963), District commander of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), stepped up to greet him and handed the General a petition signed by DAV members asking the use of his influence toward passage by Congress of a compulsory military training bill. ‘I’ll do all I can for the disabled veterans,’ General Eisenhower told Mister Hendrick, ‘and I will see that this petition gets into the proper hands.’” “As the officers cleared spectators, General Eisenhower’s car and others moved around to the south entrance of the Capitol, where the party entered for the ceremonies at the joint session of Congress.” “Two-Minute Demonstration.” “Shortly before General Eisenhower appeared in the House, the officers and enlisted men who accompanied him home filed quietly to seats at the rear of the chamber. Their arrival brought a preliminary demonstration from the audience, but the men themselves kept glancing up at the reserved gallery on the west side of the House chamber where members of their families were seated. With all the pomp of this most impressive of Congressional gatherings, members of the House, seven of the nine Supreme Court Justices, a large delegation from the diplomatic corps and members of the Cabinet marched in.” “From the floor and galleries of the packed Chamber came a roar of cheering and applause as General Eisenhower entered the rear door at 1230 Hours. The demonstration lasted more than two minutes while the smiling General walked down the center aisle to the rostrum.” “Reads Script Rapidly.” “When Speaker Rayburn introduced him, the demonstration started anew, but the General held up his right hand as a signal that he was ready to speak and the applause subsided as promptly as though he had given an order to his troops.” “Just before he put on his spectacles to read from his prepared text. the General apologized for breaking his custom by speaking from notes. He explained there was so much he would like to say and so many subjects he would like to cover that he feared he would trespass on their time. The General read his script rapidly, chopping his words at the end of sentences. Frequently he had to pause as applause punctuated his words. As General Eisenhower was leaving the chamber. Senator Arthur Capper [(July 14, 1865 – December 19, 1951)], from the General’s native Kansas, stepped from his seat to give the returning hero a hearty handshake.” “Courtesy Call at the White House” “The luncheon in his honor at the Statler Hotel started at 1300 Hours. The guest of honor arrived at 1330 Hours, rushing back along the parade route he had traveled before at less than ten miles an hour. Guests at the head table were [witness to the Nazi German surrender] Lieutenant Colonel James L. Ballard [(February 27, 1919 – April 13, 2004)]; the Reverend Father Edmund A. Walsh [(October 10, 1885 – October 31, 1956)], [assistant prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials]; Engineer Commissioner Kutz; General Alexander A. Vandegrift [(March 13, 1887 – May 8, 1973), Marine Corps Commandant]; Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King [(November 23, 1878 – June 25, 1956)], Chief of Naval Operations]; Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy [(May 6, 1875 – July 20, 1959), the Chief of Staff to President Truman]; [United States District Judge] Joseph C. McGarraghy [(November 6, 1897 – November 29, 1975)], General George C. Marshall; Lieutenant General Ira C. Eaker [(April 13, 1896 – August 6, 1987), Commander of the Eighth Air Force]; General Peyton C. March [(December 27, 1864 – April 13, 1955), Army Chief of Staff during World War I]; Admiral Russell R. Waesche [(January 6, 1886 – October 17, 1946), Commandant of the United States Coast Guard]; Commissioner Young; District of Columbia Commissioner Guy Mason [(September 10, 1880 – July 10, 1955)]; Banker Robert V. Fleming [Nvoember 3, 1890 – November 28, 1967)]; and the Reverend Doctor Oscar F. Blackwelder [(March 6, 1898 – April 7, 1961), Pastor of the Lutheran Church of the Reformation].” “After receiving the medal from President Truman at the White House, General Eisenhower was to face a press conference at the Pentagon with so many reporters wanting to ask questions that the conference was shifted from the usual press conference room to a larger auditorium.” “A possible visit to General of the Armies John J. Pershing [(September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948)] — at General Pershing’s convenience — was on the schedule for the afternoon.” “Then, General Eisenhower and his party were to go to the White House for a buffet supper at 2000 Hours. General George S. Patton, Junior [(November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945)], commander of the Third Army, also was expected to attend the White House party.” “Tomorrow, General Eisenhower will fly to New York for its celebration, Then he goes to West Point, Kansas City and his home town of Abilene, Kansas.” “An hour and a half before General Eisenhower and his party were due to arrive here, the airport presented a quiet, orderly appearance, with a quiet, orderly appearance, with only routine movements of Army and commercial planes.” “Among those waiting inside the ATC station was Technical Sergeant Alec Kritini [(November 1, 1917 – July 18, 1979)] of Garrett Pail, Maryland, a veteran of Africa, Italy and France. A dispatcher for the Air Transport Command, Sergeant Kritini wears ribbons attesting service in half a dozen campaigns.” “He had not come for the welcome, out awaited a plane to take him 😮 Nashville, Tennessee, on temporary duty. But he hoped his old Commander in Chief would arrive before is departure.” “‘I’d like to sort of help welcome him,’ the Sergeant said. ‘I guess there’ll be plenty to welcome him, but I’d like to see him arrive. General Eisenhower is the soldiers’ General. I don’t think there’s a GI who ever served under him who isn’t for him a hundred per cent.’ Sergeant Kritini used to see General Eisenhower, United Kingdom Royal Army General Benard L. Montgomery [(November 17, 1887 – March 24, 1976)], United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill (November 30, 1874 – January 24, 1965) and other celebrities in Africa before Tunisia was even won from the Nazi Germans. The sergeant served in Central Africa before our troops landed in North Africa. He has had thirty months’ foreign service.” “Another GI Eager for Glimpse.” “Another soldier waiting at the terminal was equally interested in the General. A Veteran of forty-two months’ service in the Pacific, Corporal John J. Casey [(January 2, 1891 – January 8, 1957)] of Plains, Pennsylvania, said, ‘out there we heard a lot about Ike there we heard a lot about Ike runny, too, because we heard about hardly anybody except MacArthur and Nimitz.’ The corporal has a hundred and thirty discharge points and was waiting for a plane to San Francisco, to be discharged. he said he was getting weary of waiting for a plane until he heard the delay would give him a chance to see General Eisenhower.” “‘I guess I’m as excited over seeing him as I ever get over anybody,’ Corporal Casey said. ‘I wonder will they let a GI like me near enough to latch a glimpse of him?’ He went off to interview terminal authorities about getting a position In front of the huge glass windows encasing the terminal.” “Fine View From Ledges” “By 0900 Hours, meanwhile, early arrivals began assembling at vantage spots on the Lincoln Memorial and nearby park benches.” “Special permission was granted by the Office of National Capital Parks in charge of the Memorial for sightseers to sit on the stone ledges of the great temple where a fine view could be had of the procession. The first three arrivals to be granted this special permission took their seats on the highest of the three ledges facing the Memorial Bridge. They were Miss Rosemary E. Pabich (born August 18, 1932) of Milwaukee, Missus Clara Phillips Wheeler (October 12, 1910 – September 16, 1957) of Pittsburgh, and Missus Vera Sostarich Hegyi (April 25, 1915 – September 16, 2002) of Milwaukee.” “Several people began bringing camp stools and light wooden chairs to find vantage spots near the Memorial.” “Elsewhere, on the line of march, peanut and ice cream vendors were busy hours before the parade. ‘I got a bigger sack than I ever had, but it’s gone already,’ one said. ‘When people are excited, they want peanuts, and when they are hot they want ice cream, and they sure are both today.’” “Red Cross volunteer workers at the Constitution Avenue Station said they were ready for emergencies they hoped would not arise.” “The grounds, of the Washington Monument were dotted with people. One group of girls wore shorts, and said, ‘We want to see Ike, but we might as well get sunburned at the same time.’” Abbie A. Rowe (August 23, 1905 – April 17, 1967) was an American photographer, best known for being an official White House photographer from 1941 to 1967, covering 5 successive administrations. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0679.jpg |
| Image Size | 921.67 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2932 x 2336 |
| Photographer | Abbie A. Rowe |
| Photographer Title | National Park Service |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | June 18, 1945 |
| Location | |
| City | Washington |
| State or Province | District of Columbia |
| Country | United States |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | 73-1955 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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