I first learned and sang "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" when I was in high school. Bud and Travis as well as the Chad Mitchell Trio sang versions of this song. I was moved by both of them. When I got to college in the fall of 1965 the war in Viet Nam made the song even more poignant and personal.
When I joined The Brothers Four in 1969 I often sang this song in concert. The other guys would leave me on stage alone. The group played at the University of Washington Homecoming in October of that year. We opened for Bob Hope. The country was deeply divided on whether we should be in Viet Nam. Bob Hope was someone who believed those who opposed the war were traitors. When I sang this song on Friday for the Alumni there were a few boos. (I was also wearing a black armband in support of the Moratorium Peace Marches that were going on that weekend around the country.) The students cheered mightily when I sang the song on Saturday.
Sadly the song still resonates to this day. I continue to become emotional when I sing it before adding the Robert Frost poem at the end.
