The Second Oregon had come home: Early in the morning the commanders were instructed to get their men ready to march to the barracks. Ten minutes later the regiment was on the wharf, the men wearing the blue shirts, brown trousers and leggins which they wore when charging through the jungles and over the rice fields in the Philippines. The mascot detachment was not so easily landed.
“Here, Walker, take this monkey,” shouted a corporal.
“Grab that goat quick, he is going overboard.”
“Lend me a hand here, you privates; let’s get this menagerie ashore,” commanded the officer of the day.
Order reigned about two seconds when “Monkey overboard” turned order into chaos. Twenty men rushed to the edge of the wharf and strenuous efforts were made to save the life of the little brown fellow who had toppled off the gang plank. Ropes were carried from every corner of the wharf, but the efforts of the men were unavailing and the monkey lost his life. The other monkeys, the parrots, the dogs and the goat were safely landed. The goat chews tobacco and eats it too.
The Oregon band struck up “Home Sweet Home” in quick time and the march to the Presidio began.
For an hour or more a man near me had been talking in a pessimistic way about the war. He said this Philippine scuffle didn’t amount to much anyway. What did we want with their old islands, anyhow? We ought to return them. It was a violation of the constitution to keep them.
Ten minutes later he was saying, “I can’t stand it,” as platoon after platoon went by with decimated ranks. One platoon had left nearly every man in the Philippines.
There were others who “couldn’t stand it.” “Home Sweet Home” sounded like a mockery. Up the street trudged these boys in blue, travel stained and weary, bearing the flag with holes in it, holes made by the death-winged bullets of the Filipinos. How gaunt and sick they looked. War had not been play with them. Not many cheers were heard. There were more “God bless you boys” than “Hurrahs.”
Other bands may play better, other bands may play louder, but none ever played more effectively than the Oregon.