When Johnny and Jane Come Marching Home

I tend to get songs stuck in my head quite often. In recent weeks, it’s been “Do you want to build a snowman?” from Frozen, interspersed with “Ah, Holy Jesus,” a Lenten hymn, and the lovely Madelyn Simone’s number one requested ditty, “The Ants Go Marching One By One, Howaah, Howaah.” Unfortunately, the Ants song is reflective of my kitchen counter as the tiny ants have dropped in for their annual spring visit.

The melody of the Ants song is one that dates back to the Civil War, when Patrick Gilmore borrowed the tune of “Johnny Fill Up the Bowl” to create the song that struck home on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line: “When Johnny comes marching home again, Hurrah! Hurrah!” Gilmore captured the desire for the safe return of loved ones and the grateful welcome home of the community when he sang about cheering men, shouting boys, pealing church bells, and the waiting laurel wreaths of greeting. 

For all the promised gaiety of Gilmore’s song, the adjustment into civilian life isn’t always filled with shouts of victory and welcoming arms when Johnny and Jane come marching home. For the World War II veteran, often the return home became one of silent memories, held closely to protect loved ones from the atrocities of Pearl Harbor, Normandy, Buchenwald, and the Bataan Death March. Whatever my dad saw in the jungles of the Philippines may have haunted his dreams, but he never spoke of the horrors of war to his children.

For the veterans of my youth, their return was often met with jeers instead of cheers, as the country was roiling with unrest in regards to the Viet Nam conflict. A number of years ago, the Salvation Army sponsored a “Reunion” weekend that brought the replica of the Viet Nam Wall to Akron. Grief and gratitude mingled at that wall just as it does in Washington, as a nation continues to come to grips with the disservice it did to its young men and women.

Veterans of Desert Storm fared a bit better. I’ve got a picture of our youngest son, probably about eighteen months old, tapping on a snare drum as he waiting to follow alongside the band in the welcome home parade in downtown Cleveland. In contrast, the frequent deployments of Iraq and Afghanistan have changed the landscape of good-byes and hellos, and have been challenging for our military and their families, especially those slipping in and out of civilian life with the National Guard.

We read about the suicide rate among veterans, the breakdown in military families, and the increasing number of homeless veterans, and we wonder what we might do to help. “Being shaken to the core by war is a deeply human reaction,” retired U.S. Army Colonel David Sutherland and psychologist Paula Caplan tell us, and they offer practical ways an individual or a community can provide a better welcome home to our veterans.

Here in Ashland and Richland counties, a veteran-focused listening initiative is being coordinated by The Ohio State University at Mansfield, North Central State University, Ashland University and the Richland County Veterans Administration. This “Welcome Johnny and Jane Home Project” connects local residents with veterans, providing a safe environment for veterans to tell their stories. You can learn more about it at http://www.ncstatecollege.edu/cms/listen2vets.

Local veteran Adam Boyce suffered a traumatic brain injury while serving in Iraq, and now assists fellow veterans through the Veterans Service Commission in Mansfield. As he tells his story, he helps the listener recognize the costs associated with military service. “Some wounds,” he says, “you can’t see.”

Songwriter Patrick Gilmore may have gotten carried away in 1863 with his descriptive phrases in “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” but one line serves as a poignant reminder to us: “And let each one perform some part, to fill with joy the warrior's heart.” Kaplan and Sutherland call us to action in similar words today: “As our military men and women continue to return, scarred and battered, American communities must not isolate veterans. Listen. Help veterans heal on their own terms and at their own speed.”

Welcome home, Johnny and Jane. Thank you and hurrah!