After the Armistice

When the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, there were hundreds of thousands of American men and animals in Europe. Just as it had taken over a year to build to these numbers, it would take many months to get the men home.

Some animals were still needed, because troops were sent to Germany to occupy that country and prevent further military action, and their animals continued to work alongside them.Clearing rubble in a French village.

There was really no thought to bringing the animals back across the ocean. It was costing huge amounts of money to feed them, and so as soon as they were no longer needed, they were sold - Left Behind, to new lives that might or might not be kind.

For the rest, animals and the men waiting to go home, perhaps occupying Germany, life out of the battle zone was a distinct relief. They found time to have fun, and some of that time was spent on horse events. The Quartermaster's Corps had contests for best turned out team and wagon, while the cavalry units (finally) had the opportunity to ride their horses. They staged horse shows and riding contests, as well as using the time to improve the horsemanship skills of the average trooper. This time was The Lighter Side of the entire wartime experience.

Back home, a victory parade down Fifth Avenue in New York City was In the offing. The only trouble was, nobody knew exactly when. August 1919? September? With about three weeks notice, it fell to a reserve officer in the Quartermaster Corps to pull together all the uniforms, wagons, horses, mules, saddles, sabers, and other paraphernalia needed to outfit the troopers. And it certainly could not look war worn - after all, this was a victorious force that people were seeing! Add in paint, horseshoes, clippers, and underwear. A quartermaster officer's humorous but factual account of "A Hurry Job and It's Handling" will bring memories back for anyone who has served in the armed forces.