| Jari Villanueva
Bugler and Brass Historian
Announcer: Boeing presents another in a series
of essays from contemporary opinion leaders. Today, bugler,
brass historian and curator of the Taps Exhibit at Arlington
National Cemetery, Jari Villanueva.
Villanueva: Of all the military bugle calls,
none is so easily recognized or more apt to stir our emotions
than the haunting and eloquent melody of Taps.
The call is unique to the United States military. Taps is
used at U.S. bases around the world as the final call of the
day. It has given a sense of safety and security to U.S. soldiers
from the Civil War on, signaling to our men and women in uniform
that another day in service to their country is done and all
is well.
There is a wonderful myth about the origin of Taps. During
the Civil War, it says, there was a young soldier who was killed
while fighting for the Confederacy. His father, a captain in
the Union Army, came upon his son’s body on the battlefield.
In the pocket of his son’s uniform, he found the notes
for Taps.
This is a great story but it’s just that ? a story.
In 1862, Union General Daniel Butterfield and his brigade
bugler, Oliver Willcox Norton, revised an earlier bugle call
to create the 24 notes we know today as Taps. The new call
quickly spread throughout the Union army and was soon used
even by Confederates to signal the end of the day.
Later that same year at a battlefield funeral, Captain John
Tidball chose to forgo firing the customary volleys over the
grave for fear that he might rouse the enemy. The Captain chose
the sounding of Taps as the most appropriate substitute.
Today, sounding Taps at ceremonies is the most sacred duty
a bugler can perform.
When I sound Taps at a funeral, I’m sometimes approached
by family members who wish to thank me for being part of the
service. To answer “You’re welcome” seems
inappropriate. Instead, I always reply, “It is my honor.”
Announcer: Boeing. Forever New Frontiers
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