Jeremy Miller can expect to be greeted by familiar sounds from Ellsworth when he finishes the walk that has taken him across America to raise awareness about veteran suicide.

Ellsworth High School brothers Noah and Logan Erichsen and Adam Vehring, all juniors, plan to leave Dec. 12 for the Washington, D.C. area.

With them will go a trombone for Noah, a trumpet for Logan and an euphonium for Adam.

The three expect to play the Star Spangled Banner and God Bless the USA, both tunes they performed when Miller visited Ellsworth on his crosscounty journey this past summer.

Noah said a crowd of about 3,000 is expected to greet Miller when he arrives at Arlington Cemetery in West Virginia. Among them will be Adam’s mother and aunt, who took an airplane to Washington. The boys traveled by car with the Erichsen brothers’ father, Chris.

“Instruments don’t do well with airplanes,” Noah said.

The trio is set to perform the morning of Dec. 14 at Arlington. Songs will include the Star Spangled Banner, which the students played when Miller was in Ellsworth. The performance is what encouraged the veteran’s advocate to reach out to the boys with the invitation. Other songs they plan to play at Arlington are God Bless the USA and the Caissons Song of the U.S. Army.

The boys plan to return home Dec. 17.

Jeremy Miller, an Iraq War veteran, is no stranger to the kind of depression that can lead to suicide.

In combat, soldiers are trained to be at high alert and have order to their lives. After they return home, many find that they’re no longer needed and have nothing to do, according to Miller. As a result, many grapple with their mental health and may attempt suicide. Over the course of three years, Miller lost four comrades to suicide.

“One day you’re laughing with your friends, having a good time, and the next day they might be gone,” he said during his walk across Kansas.

Twenty-two veterans take their lives each day.

Miller has been interviewed many times during his more than 3,000-mile Walk Across America and met with numerous people along the way. The Erichsen brothers hope to bring Miller and his cause even more attention. This past week, Noah was in the process of notifying U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran’s office of the Arlington visit. Moran, a Kansas Republican, is about to assume chairmanship of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. During a recent visit home, he said lawmakers should adopt legislation requiring the Federal Communications Commission to change the 1-800 number for the Veterans Crisis Line to a three-digit code for the benefit of people contemplating suicide.

Moran has been especially supportive of additional resources for veterans living in more isolated rural areas.

He said mental health counseling for veterans should be funneled through existing community mental health centers. He requested the VA make Kansas the next state added to a system that authorized pharmacies, churches and other venues to host confidential telemedicine sessions for veterans interacting by video with the VA.

Moran said shortages of VA social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists could be alleviated by hiring marriage and family therapists from the private sector to engage with veterans.

“A lot of the needs are not being met, in large part, because of distance and because of lack of providers,” Moran said.“The distance part is significant because, if you are suicidal, time matters.”

The three Ellsworth musicians are accepting donations to pay for meals and other expenses on their trip. The local Veterans of Foreign Wars, represented by Commander Doug Stefek and Dale Weinhold, have volunteered to pay for gasoline and lodging.