“He kissed me full on the lips”
On this day in 1919, nearly a year after
WWI ended, General Pershing led a victory parade down New York
City’s Fifth Avenue. During the
parade, Kitty Dalton, a Knight of Columbus Flower Girl, presented a bouquet to the General and he paused to kiss
her. “Can he kiss?” she was asked “I’d say
he can” Kitty dished.”He kissed me full on the lips… Nobody ever kissed me as General Pershing did.”
The American Past, NYC in Focus –
The New York Times – Photo: September 10 1919, New York City, Kitty Dalton and
General Pershing after the kiss – The New York Times, Library of Congress
More about this beautiful day in
New York:
‘New York lived probably the last
chapter in its history of great military spectacles growing out of the war.
The Mayor had declared the day a national
holiday, and the whole population was out to witness the passing of the marching
hosts. All along 5th Avenue from 107th
Street to Washington Square
they stood, many deep, kept in place by 7,000 policemen; hotels and private
buildings filled specially constructed stands with closely packed spectators;
every window was crowded, and the surging throngs early occupied every point of
vantage. From all these points, as well as from the reviewing stand and the seats
that flanked it from 85th to 74th Street, the cheers
swelled into wild outbursts of greetings, shoutings of Pershing’s name, the ringing
of bells, the rattle of raucous crickets, a formidable body of sound undertoned
by the pealing of church bells and supplemented visually by great showers of
confetti, long, trailing paper streamers, and clouds of paper snow. A group of
army airplanes from Mineola flew up and down above the long, white avenue,
echoing to the rythmical tread of the soldiers, who wore upon their heads the flat
trench helmets of the fighting force in France, and whose closely aligned bayonets
gleamed like silver rain.
The
whole route was gay and colorful with flags and bunting. Most colorful, most
picturesque of all, was the way Pershing, the members of his staff, officers
and men of lesser rank, all the long line of marchers, were pelted with
flowers. At times Pershing rode over stretches of asphalt carpeted with laurel.
At others roses and simpler flowers rained about him. Again some enthusiast,
high above him, would toss a single blossom, perhaps to fall almost at his
feet, perhaps to drop far behind him.
Even
where the crowds were least dense, Pershing was kept at almost continual salute
by the tributes volleyed at him from both sides of the avenue.”
The New York Times – Great YouTube: General Pershing and the 1st Division parading down Fifth Avenue in New York City on September
10, 1919.
