November 11 is Veterans Day, an official United States holiday that honors men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Besides honoring our living veterans, it has become a tradition to also honor our fallen veterans with the sounding of “Taps.”
The 24 notes of Taps, composed during the Civil War, is an American tradition that is sounded at Military Honors and Memorial events. Naperville resident Richard Yndestad, a member of Naperville Post 43 of the American Legion, has been sounding Taps at these events for the past fi ve years. Richard is also a member of Bugles Across America and volunteers as a bugler at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Ill.
I met Rich in a yoga class that is offered free for veterans and their families at the VFW. (ConnectedWarriors.org).
Richard has sounded Taps more than 1,500 times and considers it an honor to sound a “Final Salute” as a fitting farewell for our veterans. His interest in playing the bugle call started at a funeral of a close friend.
Two members of the Military were present to fold the flag, but Taps was played on a boom box, he recalled.
“I felt that just wasn’t right,” Rich said. “…And decided take up the trumpet to learn to play it live.”
After months of practice, he joined Bugles Across America, a nonprofit organization that provides live buglers for Military Honors and events.
According to Tom Day, founder of Bugles Across America, there are 250 buglers in the Chicagoland area and 5,000 nationwide.
I am always moved when I hear Taps and I’m glad Richard, and buglers like him, honor veterans with real rather than canned music.
FYI: Live buglers can be requested at www.buglesacrossamerica.org.
