WWI welcome home parade

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Philip S
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I have attached a picture of two mounted soldiers leading the welcome home parade in State College, PA on May 23, 1919. They are just past the main gate to Penn State College. The man on the left is Major Wilber F. Leitzel. He led the Boal Machine gun battalion in WWI. This had been formed as a volunteer mounted machine gun troop as part of the 1st PA Cavalry in 1916. He was seriously wounded and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Captain Elton D. Walker is on the right. He was Professor of Hydraulic and Sanitary Engineering at Penn State. During the war he was in charge of Company A Fifteenth Engineers AEF but shortly before his return was transferred to the Section engineers Office at Le Havere where he was in charge of water supply and sanitary installations of that district.
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Boal troop comes back from the war_0003.jpg
Boal troop comes back from the war_0003.jpg (510.13 KiB) Viewed 4475 times
Jim Bewley
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Interesting way they are both holding their reins.
selewis
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How so, Jim? They appear to be bridged but it's hard for my morning eyes to see exactly.
tmarsh
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What kind of saddle is the one on the left riding?
Pat Holscher
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Great photo!
Jim Bewley
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selewis wrote:How so, Jim? They appear to be bridged but it's hard for my morning eyes to see exactly.
They seem to be holding both reins with their left hand, but they also have the bite in their right hand. The rider on the far side has his right hand a tad lower, the same.
Pat Holscher
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The captain's saddle blanket almost looks like it has a plaid patter to it.
Philip S
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This is a welcoming home parade so I suspect that they were mounted on whatever local horses and tack were handy.
Philip S
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Welcoming Home the Boalsburg Mach Gun Trp--Trophies.JPG
Welcoming Home the Boalsburg Mach Gun Trp--Trophies.JPG (142.44 KiB) Viewed 4407 times
They also had in the parade a captured German artillery piece. The horses look like Penn State draft horses.
Pat Holscher
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In their civvies in that last one.

It strikes me that these parades (right after WWI) were likely the very last mounted victory parades in the nation's history.
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