Colonel Tupes, in addressing the regiment, congratulated them on the achievements and expressed his satisfaction with their conduct. He asked the men to take a "just" pride in their accomplishments and their spirit of loyalty.
Can this be surpassed for eccentricity?
The seven weeks at Granges were pleasant and profitable, socially. Lectures were given to the men by French officers, outdoor recreation was provided, and the civilian population opened their hearts and their homes to the Black heroes. Like previous attempts, the efforts of the white officers to prevent the mingling of Negroes with the French girls of the village were futile. Every man was taken on his merits. The mayor of Granges gave the regiment an enthusiastic farewell.
On January 1, 1919, the regiment boarded the trained for Le Mans (Sarthe). After complying with the red-tape preparatory to embarkation and the delousing process, the regiment went to Brest, arriving there January 18, 1919.
One hundred-twenty four members of the 371st & 372nd Infantry were decorated, four of whom received the War Cross. Sergeant Depew Pryor, Corporal Morrison, and Privates Clarence Van Allen and Kenneth Lewis received the Medaille Militaire metal. Private Lewis was killed at his post by hand granades.
Crisis, vol 17, The Horizon, p192, February, 1919.
