Veteran's Day-When Johnny Come Marching Home

                                                     ~Doc Lawrence

Her father was a Marine who served in the brutal Pacific Campaign of World War II. My dad was an Army infantryman, a combat soldier in the European theater, serving under General George Patton’s 3rd US Army. Both served honorably, doing their duty, returning to civilian life with work and family responsibilities.

Olivia Thomason, a native of Hendersonville, NC where her Marine Corps dad is buried, is well known in Georgia and beyond for her paintings, a style called Southern Revivalist by the late Dean of Georgia State University’s College of Art, Dr. Joe Perrin. One of her recent works, “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” is a tribute, she said, “to all soldiers, sailors, medics, nurses and others who served during all wars.” 

The painting depicts a patriotic parade spanning all America’s military history, set in any city, celebrating the cross section of Americans who gave their time, suffered in many different ways and made the country safe. “No city held a parade for my father,” said Ms. Thomason, “but he didn’t expect one. I felt that my little effort would be at least a gesture of gratitude, an effort that lasts for a lifetime, a parade we can witness on a favorite wall daily.”

Touching up the Stone Mountain Village Mural

My father while watching TV news that included segments about marching bands, would sometimes say without a trace of bitterness or resentment, “they never had a parade for me.”

This parade is for both fathers and all the millions who deserve one. It’s a permanent way to say symbolically, “thanks for your service.”

NOTE: Named artist of the year and gallery owner of the year in Atlanta on multiple occasions, Olivia Thomason’s paintings are in corporate, professional and private collections throughout the country. Her mural in Stone Mountain Historic Village faces the giant monolith and popular park. She resides in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Contact her: bigoart1@yahoo.com