It is sometimes amusing the way one thing leads to another. At other times, it can be unsettling. Take the song “Travelin’ Soldier.” It was written and recorded in 1996 and seemed to fall into obscurity until November of 2025. Today, I hear it almost every time I am on the road listening to The Highway
“Travelin’ Soldier” is a bittersweet tribute to young men who go off to war. It also honors the women who await their return. The song’s history makes it clear that it has experienced many ups and downs in the music world. In the fall of 2025, it apparently hit one of the upslopes in the music world, becoming known to me and, apparently, to many others.
Why it made a comeback is not clear. Yet, the impact the song will have on many who hear it is clear. It carries a message that made me remember things I would have preferred to stay buried. If not buried, at least not waved in my face. It was like I was a bull and the radio was the Matador waving a red cape.I could not turn it off, and the way it made me feel was far from comfortable. The song starts out like this:
“Two days past eighteen
He was waiting for the bus in his army green
Sat down in a booth in a cafe there
Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair.”
The young man is uncomfortable, uncertain, and in need of company before he goes off to war. The young girl with the bow in her hair is just that person. Before he boards his bus, they have a great conversation. He promises to write, if she’ll let him.
The girl waits to hear from him and later to welcome him home. Sadly, she is waiting for something that will never happen. At least it will never happen as she dreams it should. Her soldier does come home, but not the way she hoped. Even more sadly, she discovers this in the most disturbing way imaginable.
As she waits for him, she dreams of looking into his eyes again and fulfilling their dream. Instead, she learns in a way that almost seems impossible, her soldier is never coming home. At least, never coming home to her.
In many cases, as in the song, someone receives a letter. One that often comes with a knock on the door. When they answer the knock, they do not find a neighbor, a friend, or a postman. They are greeted by someone in uniform. The one in uniform delivers the letter and stays with the recipient while it is opened and read. They stay to help her handle the news; your soldier is never coming home in the way you hoped.
I know that is true. I received such a letter and have delivered such messages to others. Whatever the reality, the closing verses in the song are clear:
One Friday night at a football game, the Lord’s Prayer was said. The anthem was sung, and a man said, “Folks, bow your heads for a list of local Vietnam dead.”
The song goes on, “Crying all alone under the stands. Was a piccolo player in the marching band. And one name read, and nobody really cared. But that pretty little girl with a bow in her hair.”
There was no band or ball game when my brother came home in February of 1969. Just family, friends, and the notification team, which included the young man pictured here. Yes, thousands and thousands of people over the decades have received letters letting family, friends, or colleagues know that someone is not coming home as they had hoped.
I try to remember my “little” brother on every Memorial Day to remind others that it is not a veterans’ day holiday. It is the day to remember those veterans who never made it back to the country for which they sacrificed their lives.
For those who know me and followed me in the past, I’m still kicking, just not writing as much as I did. I hope to get back in that saddle again soon. Hope your Memorial Day was meaningful and you didn’t eat too many hot dogs or hamburgers.
