TAPS
















 

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Taps
"Men who have offered their lives for their country know that patriotism is not fear of something;
it is the love of something." Adlai Stevenson-1952 speech to American Legion 

Contents - Society of the 3ID Website

Gardens of Stone 
Every military cemetery has its own name,
But all could be called gardens of stone.
With row after row of white granite markers,
Bearing names of fallen soldiers, except for the unknowns. 

These places are quiet and always well tended
And a reverence and stillness prevails at the scene.
Its almost as if GOD has willed it to be,
to ensure those resting here, have a place that’s serene. 

For many of these dead, who have given their all,
took part in campaigns that did not go well.
And so paid the price that some battles charge,
leaving each cross and star with its story to tell. 

These tales will not be of sought after glory,
for in warfare, only fools have such dreams.
No, the stories will speak of the unfilled lives,
as many lying here, were still in their teens. 

The years will pass by and the gravestones take on age,
and only spirits of sleeping warriors will now roam.
But homage will be paid, down through the years,
by those who know the meaning of these gardens of stone. 

Donald A. Chase
15th Infantry Regiment


Burial and Memorial Index - Military Benefits - 
 Military.com
Click Here or go to this link for a list of Burial and  Memorial Benefits
http://www.military.com/benefits/burial-and-memorial/index




Last Call Reported in 2012 -2013

Please report the death of any member of the Society of the Third Infantry Division to roster3id@warfoto.com
 for listing in the “Last Call” in the "Watch on the Rhine" newsletter.

Names in black of Deceased members of the Society of the 3rd Infantry Division who passed away
after the 93rd annual Reunion in Savannah, GA will be read off at the 2013 Memorial Service in Chicago, IL in September 2013

5785       OP 35     JAMES M. ALCORN         WALLER, TX          10ENG/        KOREA       CPL
                                       DOD - January 1, 2013      Reported January 6, 2013 by his son Audie

2031         OP 5    WAYNE T. ALDERSON      PITTSBURGH, PA       7INF/B       WW2        PFC
                                      DOD - February 22, 2013    Reported May 1, 2013 by Tom Maines to Lynn Ball

2055       OP 5      RAYMOND C. ANDERSON         HOCKESSIN, DE        10ENG/B       KOREA/53-54         SSGT
                                      DOD March 18, 2013          Reported March 19, 2013 by his wife Frances

2070        OP 5      DOMENICO ARNONE      CALABASH, NC       7INF/M       KOREA        CPL
                                      DOD - July 29, 2011      Reported January 5, 2013 on Status Card by his daughter Elyn Rahman

2097       OP 60     ROBERT D. BAILEY SR.        OPELIKA AL         30INF/A 7BN & HQ      CW/55-57       CPL
                                       DOD - September 13, 2012       Reported September 13, 2012 by his son Bobby Bailey

2148      OP 57      LOREN E. BEAN             AKRON, OH              7INF/SERVICE CO                KOREA/53-54            CPL
                                      DOD - April 28, 2013 Reported May 13, 2013 by Don Wingerberg

193         OP 88     BEN S. BEVIL               AURORA, CO                10FA/             WW2             MSGT
                                      DOD - Unknown                      Reported April 29, 2013 on 2014 Dues Card

2231      OP 2      ANGELO J. BONCORE        WINTHROP, MA          15INF/CN        WW2      PFC
                                      DOD - July 12, 2012       Reported September 20, 2012 by Dorothy McDaniel to Bob Gibson

2263      OP 1      JOE P. BOYLE                     MOUNT VERNON, IL            7INF/CN             WW2/41-45            SGT
                                      DOD - June 2, 2012        Reported January 7, 2013 on 2013 Status Card

2265       FBA       ERNEST D. BRADLEY         NEWNAN, GA           7INF/M                KOREA/Oct50-Jun51     1SGT
                                      DOD - August 12, 2012         Reported by I.K. Bradley January 10, 2013 on 2013 Status Card

2268      OP 5      ANTHONY BRANCA           BELLEVILLE, NJ      15INF/B            WW2/43-45             PFC
                                      DOD - February 26, 2013      Reported May 4, 2013 by Lena Branca

2281        OP 17   DONALD H. BRECHEISEN     CONWAY, AR        15INF/E        KOREA       CPT
                                     DOD- January 26, 2010            Reported October 1, 2012 by Lynn Ball

7309       OP 35   MARLIS C. BROWN                 CLAYTON, TX               703MAINT/A/HQ               CW             SP4
                                     DOD 2011                               Reported January 25, 2013 by Lynn Ball

2327        OP 3    PIERRE P. BUCH                   MONETA, VA                       ASSOCIATE
                                     DOD - April 3, 2012               Reported April 22, 2013 on the Internet

2339        OP 5    HERMAN P. BULL        OWINGS MILLS, MD      7INF/D/35th TC/BN   WW2/41-44, CW/57-60     MSGT
                                    DOD - April 15, 2011       Reported January 11, 2013 on 2013 Status Card and Internet

8454       OP 22     JOE C. CASANOVA             ARLETA, CA                    9FA/                  WW2/40-45               SSGT
                                     DOD - May 9, 2012              Reported October 24, 2012 by Bruce Monkman

5808        OP 2     JOHN C. CLARK                   ARCADIA, FL / WALKERTON, IN         7INF/K         KOREA          SSGT
                                     DOD - April 28, 2013           Reported April 29, 2013 by his daughter Connie

6313       OP 54    ROBERT E. COFFIN           REDWOOD CITY, CA     DIV/39FA/41FA/10FA/A/G     WW2-KOREA      LTG
                                     DOD - March 17, 2010         Reported April 2, 2013 by his daughter Lynn Coffin Johnson

7818        FBA    DEWARD J. CROWELL          TROIS RIVIERES, QUEBEC CANADA     HHQ/CO 2/64ARM     CW    SP4
                                   DOD - Unknown              Reported December 13, 2012 by James W. McLean, Jr

2619       OP 15     JOHN L. DALY       CAMDEN, ME         30INF/H          WW2        SGT
                                   DOD - July 13, 2010         Reported April 24, 2013 on the Internet

6374      OP 13     ROBERT E. DODGE                HOLLY, MI                    15INF/        WW2       PFC
                               DOD - January 10, 2012       Reported  September 26, 2012 by Executor to Henry Burke

7179     OP 11     WILLIAM H. DUFFY              NATICK, MA        15INF/G & 30INF/        WW2         PFC
                               DOD- May 5, 2012                     Reported January 9, 2013 by Tom Heitzer

7413     OP 22     CHARLES L. EVELAND          DANA POINT, CA          DIV/MED/            KOREA            CPT
                               DOD - February 17, 2013            Reported March 13, 2013 by Edwin Loh to Martin Markley

6938       OP 15     NEIL G. EVERINGHAM         LAKELAND,TN        64TK/C        KOREA/52-56       1LT
                              DOD - January 14, 2013             Reported February 6, 2013 to Lynn Ball from Neil's wife Joyce.

2853        OP 5      ANTHONY FARANDA        LYNBROOK, NY       9FA/B        WW2/Jan43-Sep45          PFC
                               DOD - October 9, 2012              Reported October 12, 2012 by his son Anthony to Bart Viruso

5956        OP 5     BARNET FELDMAN            SWARTHMORE, PA            15INF/B            WW2             SSGT
                              DOD - January 28, 2013           Reported February 23, 2013 by his wife Phyllis to Bart Viruso       

2940       OP 88   FLOYD W. FREDRICK        AURORA, CO        15INF/1BN     HQ         WW2       PVT
                                   DOD - August 17, 2012          Reported September 17, 2012 by his son Chuck Fredrick

2975        OP 5    WILLIAM J. GARDELLA      NEWTOWN, PA       7INF/H       WW2        CPL
                                   DOD- February 19, 2005         Reported November 24, 2012 on Internet Obit

2717       OP 63   CHARLES A. HANSBERRY        VASHON, WA     30INf/B       WW2       SGT
                                  DOD - May 31, 2007               Reported January 11, 2013 on 2013 Status card and Internet

3141        OP 5      EDWARD J. HANRAHAN         PLYMOUTH, MA & INDIAN SHORES, FL   
                                      64TK/A                 KOREA/Jun52-Nov52            SSGT             OPHSA Chaplain Emeritus
                                   DOD - January 3, 2013             Reported January 4, 2013 by Martin Markley

6629      OP 60     BEVERLY HAPGOOD                   PELHAM, AL                               ASSOCIATE
                                  DOD October 16, 2012           Reported January 19, 2013 on 2013 Status Card

8642      OP 54    WILSON A. HEEFNER              STOCKTON, CA                ASSOCIATE               COL
                                  DOD - February 16, 2013       Reported April 2, 2013 by his wife Patricia Heefner

7188        OP 7    MARTHA A. HERGENREDER            LAS VEGAS, NV           ASSOCIATE
                                  DOD - February 9, 2013             Reported February , 2013 by her daughter Cath Bacon

3296      OP 33    BURTON HOWELL          AVON, IN                   7INF/F               WW2            PFC
                                  DOD - February 28, 2007           Reported April 24, 2013 by Bill Harris

3315       OP 33    CHESTER L. HUNTER           SOUTH BEND, IN              7INF/       WW2/Jun43-Feb45              PFC
                                   DOD - November 13, 2012       Reported January 12, 2013 on 2013 Status Card

7480        OP 1    ALVIN J. IVERSON               ALGONQUIN, IL         39FA/ & 10FA/ DIV/ARTY        WW2        SGT
                                   DOD - January 13, 2011          Reported May 4, 2013 on Raffle ticket letter

3390       OP 22    DON C. JONES                     CAMARILLO, CA              30INF/L               WW2                 SSGT
                                  DOD - December 26, 2012                  Reported April 23, 2013 on 2014 Dues Card

3408       OP 57    JOHN S. JOYCE                  LYNDHURST, OH           7INF/C            WW2                 T5
                                 DOD - May 9, 2010                  Reported May 7, 2013 on 2014 Dues Card

3501      OP 13     ROBERT J. KIPPERT                MACOMB, MI            15INF/L        WW2               E5
                                  DOD - July 9, 2011                   Reported January 31, 2013 by his son

8080        OP 7    ARTHUR W. KAUFFMAN   HADDONFIELD, NJ        1/10ARTY/B BTRY       CW/Ma66-Apr69         SSGT
                                  DOD - November 13, 2012        Reported January 15, 2013 on 2013 Status Card

3509        OP 5    MARK KISHTON                SCHENECTADY, NY              30INF/G               WW2              PFC
                                 DOD - May 22, 2012                 Reported January 25, 2013 by Mary Kishton to Lynn Ball

3536       OP 57    JAMES R. KOLENZ            CLEVELAND, OH            DIV/SIG             KOREA            CPL
                                DOD - April 11, 2013               Reported April 29, 2013 on 2014 Dues Card

6618       OP 60    RALPH F. KREPS               HARTSELLE, AL          DIV/15INF         WW2/KOREA        MSGT
                                 DOD - February 22, 2013           Reported February 28, 2013 on Status Card

3614      OP 63    THOMAS E. LAWSON         GRAND JUNCTION, CO        15INF/C & 30INF/G        WW2        CPL
                                DOD- March 27, 2011                     Reported April 22, 2013 by USPS

3623       FBA      ROBERT D. LEDFORD        HATTIESBURG, MS         30INF/B         WW2        SSGT
                                DOD - August 15, 2011          Reported April 23, 2013 on Internet

3629      OP 88    WILLIAM C. LEIPOLD       LOUISVILLE, CO            15INF/HQ/D       WW2/Jan43-Oct45       1LT
                               DOD - March 14, 2013           Reported May 2, 2013 by his daughter Gayle Booms to Bill Buntrock

3635        OP 11   WILLIAM A. LEONARD SR      MANCHESTER, CT       10FA/SV        WW2
                              DOD - Feb 28, 2011               Reported on Internet January 12, 2013

3641          OP 3    RAPHAEL A. LEVIN          RALEIGH, NC           15INF/MED            WW2               CPT
                              DOD- April 11, 2012             Reported May 4, 2013 by his family

3751        OP 60     GEORGE E. MANN       FALKVILLE, AL        15INF/B       WW2       PFC
                              DOD - July 22, 2012           Reported November 16, 2012 by Tom Heitzer

3815         FBA     THEODORE E. MC CLAIN       COLORADO SPRINGS, CO     64TK/      KOREA        MAJ
                             DOD - January 13, 2011 Reported January 12, 2013 on 2013 Status card and Internet

7859         OP 2      KLAUS MEINDL       FORT MYERS, FL    ASSOCIATE (German Air Force)     WW2/1941-46        LT
                             DOD - June 12, 2012             Reported November 13, 2012 by Robert Gibson

8059         OP 5     LEONARD C. MORGAN    ELMIRA, NY       62nd Coastal Artillery Batt      WW2/41-46      SGT
                            DOD - December                   Reported January 2, 2013 by his spouse Delores Morgan

4050        OP 88     EDWARD T. NELSON       AURORA, CO         7INF/CN 10FA/B             WW2                 MSGT
                            DOD - April 30, 2012             Reported April 21, 2013 by Carl Schlegel

4145         OP 1      DONAL J. O'CONNOR     NORMAL, IL      ASSOCIATE/  346SIG 932 SIG/BN SEP TAC      WW2       SSGT
                             DOD - August 3, 2012         Reported December 17, 2012 by his daughter Eileen Kaser

6820         OP 5      GEORGE P. O'REGAN      STATEN ISLAND, NY       15INF/K/MED HVMTR 3PLTN      KOREA/53     SSGT
                             DOD - November 4, 2012      Obit found on the Internet February 4, 2013 from an inquiry from Tom Heitzer

8634         OP 12  BERNARD J. PETERSON      MINNETONKA, MN         10FA/HQ       WW2/Sep39-Sep45        SSGT
                                DOD - May 22, 2012         Reported October 18, 2012 by his daughter Jill Connors

4224          OP 7   JAMES M. PHILLIPS         SICKLERVILLE, NJ              7INF/              WW2                PFC
                                DOD - August 31, 2011     Reported January 12, 2013 on Internet

4237         OP 17   MARION J. PILKINGTON         MACON, MO                            10ENG/             KOREA
                               DOD - October 14, 2012     Reported January 16, 2013 to Lynn Ball

4239         OP 57   WILLIAM A. PINTER         RAVENNA , OH         10FA/        WW2/41-45         T4
                               DOD - April 23, 2013          Reported April 25, 2013 by Don Wingerberg

4241       OP 17      FRANK J. PISTONE           INDEPENDENCE, MO         7INF/L      WW2/43-46      SSGT
                               DOD- August 25, 2012              Reported September 28, 2012 by Martin Markley

8501       OP 3       COKER N. PRICE              ORANGEBURG, SC          15INF/B       WW2/43-45        PFC
                             DOD - June 6, 2012             Reported November 30, 2012 by C.N. Price Jr

4387      OP 12      KENNETH R. ROBB          GREELEY, CO         30INF/AT, 7INF/ 60INF/       WW2/ Korea        LTC
                             DOD - February 25, 2013      Reported May 4, 2013 by Robb R. Casseday

4464       OP 5       THOMAS P. RYAN           ACWORTH, GA   and HARTFORD, CT        15INF/AT        WW2           PFC
                            DOD - December 25, 2012             Reported February 17, 2013 by his son Col Tim Ryan

7718     OP 33      ARTHUR SCHILLER         CARMEL, IN               3ID/36INF/C            WW2              CPL
                            DOD - January 14, 2013                Reported April 24, 2013 by Bill Harris

4541     OP 12      VICTOR J. SCHULTZ        ODESSA, MN       703ORD/        KOREA         SFC
                            DOD - APRIL 30, 2002                  Reported April 25, 2013 on Internet

5683       OP 17      FRANK R. SIDA                WRIGHT CITY, MO            3ID/     KOREA/48-51       CPL
                             DOD - January 9, 2013           Reported January 9, 2013 by Shirley Sida

5684       OP 11     JOHN L. SILVER JR.         HYANNIS, MA              7INF/K          KOREA               PFC
                             DOD- February 12, 2013        Reported April 29, 2013 on 2014 Dues Card

7321         FBA      EDDIE A. SOWERS            CASTLE ROCK, WA           10FA/A          WW2
                             DOD - January 23, 2013           Reported April 18, 2013 on 2014 Dues Card

4717      OP 60      ROBERT H. STEELE          ROCKY FORD, GA         15INF/C        WW2/43-45      SGT
                            DOD - January 21, 2013       Reported January 21, 2013 by Leonard Collins

4728       OP 601   JAMES R. STEVENS        RIVIERA BEACH, FL and GIBSONIA, PA     601TD/RECON    WW2      CPL
                                  DOD - November 12, 2012          Reported November 29, 2012 by Frank Kosko

8038      OP 33     H. RONALD STEWART      ELIZABETH, IN        15INF/F         KOREA/Feb-Dec52         CPL
                                 DOD - October 28, 2012               Reported December 15, 2012 by his wife Emma Lee

6183      OP 35     JAMES L. STONE            ARLINGTON, TX              15INF/               KOREA, CW/56-59             COL
                                DOD - November 9, 2012    Reported by February 23, 2013 Lynn Ball   MOH RECIPIENT

6306        FBA      MALCOLM K. SWEETMAN       WEST HAVEN, CT    30INF/RAIDER     WW2       SGT
                               DOD - July 28, 2012             Reported April 22, 2013 by his nephew Jim Sweetman on 2014 Dues Card

8615     OP 35     DAVID M. TORMEY        BURLINGTON, VT         3ID/3rdMED BN     KOREA          COL
                               DOD - February 26, 2013       Reported March 13, 2013 by his son Chris to Abe Friedman

4856       OP 7    WILLIAM J. TRACEY        LOUGHMAN, FL       15INF/A        KOREA                    SSGT
                                 DOD - January 3, 2013                Reported January 15, 2013 on 2013 Status Card

4913        FBA   ERIC D. VANDROUX         VESOUL, FRANCE                 ASSOCIATE
                                DOD - April 5. 2013               Reported April 6, 2013 by Members of the Rock of the Marne Assn

4993         FBA   ELMER E. WEBB             JUNCTION CITY, OR        7INF/D        WW2       PFC
                                 DOD - May 3, 2012                    Reported January 12, 2013 on Internet

5013      OP 17   JACK R. WELLS          ALTON, IL         15INF/B             KOREA/Apr51-Feb52               SFC
                                 DOD - August 17, 2012          Reported October 4, 2012 by George Pilkington

5023     OP 63   ROBERT D. WEST        DES MOINES, WA      7INF/ 15/1INF 10FA/C, 65INF/    KOREA/Sep48-Nov51    SSGT
                                 DOD - February 5, 2013            Reported April 27, 2013 on 2014 Dues Card

8036       OP 2    RALPH E. WILLIAMS      YULEE, FL        58FA/A Batt            KOREA/Mar52-Apr53          1SGT
                                       DOD- July 27, 2012            Reported September 17, 2012 by his wife Glenda

5119       OP 5    RICHARD C. WOOLSON       YORK, PA               15INF/3BN/HQ             WW2/July42-Feb46             SGT
                                       DOD - MARCH 20, 2013             Reported April 26, 2013 on 2014 Dues Card 

5110     OP 35    WILLIAM J. WOLLYUNG       TOWER CITY, PA                30INF/F              WW2
                                       DOD - August 12, 2012         Reported January 7, 2013 on 2013 Status Card



Such Good Men

" I know now why men who have been to war yearn to reunite. Not to tell stories or to look at old pictures, Not to laugh or weep on one another's knee. Comrades gather because they long to be with men who once acted their best. Men who suffered and sacrificed, who were stripped raw, right down to their humanity. I did not pick these men. They were delivered by fate and the United States Army, but I know them in a way I know no other men. I have never since given anyone such trust. They were willing to guard something more precious than my life. They would have carried my reputation, the memory of me. It was part of the bargain we all made, the reason we were so willing to die for one another. As long as I have memory, I will think of them everyday. I am sure that when I leave this world, my last thoughts will be of my family and my comrades such good men".
Excerpt from the book, "These Good Men" by Michael Norman.

All of us in the Society of the Third Infantry Division, U.S. Army, extend our sincere sympathy to the families and friends of those listed. May they rest in peace

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Click Here for Complete List of Honorees
on Warriors Walk


Click Here to learn about Warriors Walk at Fort Stewart
OIF 2010 -11  3ID Active Duty Casualties


http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/ 

The Department of Defense announced April 09, 2011 the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Sgt. Keith T. Buzinski, 26, of Daytona Beach, Fla., died April 7 in Logar province, Afghanistan of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

 The Department of Defense announced April 05, 2011 the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation New Dawn. Maj. Wesley J. Hinkley, 36, of Carlisle, Pa., died April 4 in Baghdad, Iraq, as a result of a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 3rd Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, Fort Stewart, Ga.
UPDATE: April 11, 2011 -- Capt. Hinkley was posthumously promoted to major.

 The Department of Defense announced March 22, 2011 the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation New Dawn. Cpl. Brandon S. Hocking, 24, of Seattle, Wash., died March 21 in As Samawah, Iraq, when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 87th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart.

The Department of Defense announced December 01, 2010 the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
1st. Lt. Scott F. Milley, 23, of Sudbury, Mass., died Nov. 30 in Logar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Polk, La.

The Department of Defense announced November 17, 2010 the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Staff Sgt. Kevin M. Pape, 30, of Fort Wayne, Ind., died Nov. 16 in Konar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.

The Department of Defense announced October 04, 2010 the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Sgt. 1st Class Lance H. Vogeler, 29, of Frederick, Md., died Oct.1 in Bastion, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered in Helmand, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit with indirect fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.

The Department of Defense announced September 27, 2010 the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation New Dawn.
They died Sept. 24 in Fallujah, Iraq, of injuries sustained Sept. 23 in a non-combat incident. They were assigned to 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.
Killed were:
Spc. John Carrillo Jr., 20, of Stockton, Calif.
Pfc. Gebrah P. Noonan, 26, of Watertown, Conn.
********************************************************************************************
 

Click Here to see the entire list of the
Fallen Heroes of the 3rd Infantry Division in Korea
List compiled by CW3 Joseph Inzirillo (Ret)
CW3(R), SC
Data Management Architect
3ID PAO Web Team

 

Operation Iraqi Freedom-1 
Fallen Heroes
 Click Here
Operation Iraqi Freedom-3  
Fallen Heroes
Click Here


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TAPS

There are many stories of the origin of the "Taps:
Other versions can be found at these websites:
http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/taps.htm

http://www.tapsbugler.com/TapsMyth.html

http://www.tapsbugler.com/24NotesExcerpt/Page1.html

TAPS: It's a song burned into the American consciousness, a tune that wafts over both sleep and death. And it's a piece that some believe hasn't been given the recognition it deserves. What has come to be known as 'Taps' --- 24 notes that floated from a Civil War encampment at nightfall to become the tune that sends to their final rests fallen troops, policemen and firefighters, departed veterans and even presidents of the United States --- may soon be given a more official place in the roster of national melodies. "My idea is to have [Taps] recognized as our National Song of Remembrance," said Jari Villanueva, a retired trumpet and bugle player for the U.S. Air Force Band who may very well be the country's leading authority on Taps. A veteran of more than 5,000 ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, Villanueva was an adviser on bugle calls for the movie 'Gods and Generals.' He has researched Taps, written about it, debunked myths about it (it was not found by a Union officer on the body of his son, a Confederate soldier) and offers what is probably the best history yet of the tune on a West Point Web site.

Now, along with fellow bugler Les Hampton, a Navy vet, Villanueva is working with a New York lawmaker to get Congress to officially recognize "Taps" as a song of remembrance. They hope to have this done in time for the 150th anniversary of "Taps" in 2012. As far as who would be officially eligible to have Taps played at their funeral if it does become the National Song of Remembrance, Villanueva takes a broad view. Besides troops and veterans, he said, police officers, firefighters, first responders, public health service workers --- even the Boy Scouts. "My feeling is if you rate a flag on your coffin you rate Taps." According to Villanueva, the music of Taps had its origins in "Extinguish Lights," an end-of-day bugle call adapted from a French tune. But in 1862, while encamped at Harrison's Landing, Va., Union Army Gen. Daniel Butterfield revised the tune - holding certain notes longer, etc. Taps was quickly picked up by other buglers in other units, and after the Civil War and became an official Army bugle call. Villanueva and Hampton met several years ago through playing memorial services and began thinking of ways to bring attention to the need for Taps players. The rising numbers of World War II and Korea vets passing away, as well as troop losses in Iraq and Afghanistan, has resulted in greater demand for buglers.

Several years ago the military began making a bugle insert that played Taps available to veterans groups. The discrete device plays the notes while the "bugler" --- standing away from the grave site --- holds the instrument to his lips and pretends to play. "It's something that's used a lot now. It is disappointing, but sometimes no one bothers to look for a live bugler. It's a matter of convenience." Villanueva said. While brainstorming the fake bugler problem they hit on the idea of elevating Taps to an official national song. Hampton said Rep. John Hall (D-NY), has been working with them to frame legislation. According to Villanueva, the earliest official reference to Taps for a military funeral is found in Army regulations from 1891. But he says it was doubtlessly used unofficially long before then, though still called 'Extinguish Lights'.

Later still officials from other countries came up with their own versions of Taps, some sounding very much like the Army's. A French general wrote 'Aux Morts' ('To the Dead') --- after hearing Taps, Villanueva said; it sounds much like Taps and has the same number of notes. The Germans came up with a solo trumpet call later, as did the Italians. The British wrote and adopted "The Last Post" ; after "Taps" became known, and that song is now played by all Commonwealth countries for its fallen troops and veterans, Villanueva said. As part of their efforts to raise awareness of "Taps," the two have set up an online petition and hope to get as many names in support as possible. They're also producing a CD that will include 'Extinguish Lights,' Taps, and other tunes that were inspired by Taps.
[Source: Military.com article 23 Feb 2010 ++]


If you are looking for information on a buddy or family member, who was killed during World War II, and who is still buried in one of the American cemeteries in Europe,
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