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The welcoming festivities lasted the whole week—luncheons, receptions, a ball, street demonstrations. Besides Marshal Foch, Commander Byrd visited Mme. Nungesser, the statue of Alan Seeger, the Unknown Soldier's tomb, Louis Blériot (first English Channel flyer) and onetime (1902-24) Ambassador to the U. S. Jules Jusserand who lay ill. He received from Premier Poincaré a Cross of the Legion of Honor with an officer's ribbon, higher than Colonel Lindbergh's decoration because of Commander Byrd's rank, age, prior exploits; and, with his crew, a hatful of other medals. He visited War wrecks at the Hôtel des Invalides and one of them, a Captain Legendre, paralyzed aviator who had not walked for nine years, took his hand, murmured, "I will accompany you," and walked with him towards Napoleon's Tomb.
At a luncheon given by the Anglo-American press Commander Byrd had some respite from the tension of more formal functions. A girl pressed forward to him with some violets and he kissed her, twice. Into his speech he brought a few easy going "hells"—"high up in the clouds and cold as hell ... I tell you it is a hell of a strain. . . ."
All but Hero Levine left Paris at the week's end, the Byrd quartet motoring between blossom-throwing ranks of peasants and villagers to the coast, where they dined with the Prince of Wales at Le Touquet and prepared to board the Leviathan for home at Cherbourg. The America, one of her three motors disabled by her forced landing, awaited them at the dock, crated for shipment, after a creaking journey on a truck over rutty country roads and narrow forest lanes from historic Ver-sur-Mer.
In Manhattan, a demonstration "equal to and possibly greater than" the Lindbergh one was cooked up for the Leviathan's arrival. More eager than any to see that ship come in were Rodman Wanamaker, transatlantic flight backer since 1914, owner of the America; and Pilot Floyd Bennett, U. S. N., who, still recuperating from injuries received when the America crashed in May, would have had ship-mate's share of the glory had his luck been better. (A message to Pilot Bennett was among the first Commander Byrd sent from France).