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                                                        “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 CongressMore 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. -- source link

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