Buglers honor World War I veterans with daily Taps at National Memorial
Published: 22 February 2024
By Joseph Clark
via the Department of Defense News website
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Buglers play the National Anthem at the National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C. Feb. 19, 2024. Since May 2021, volunteers have played Taps at the memorial each day at 5 p.m. in tribute to the 4.7 million service members who served and the 116,516 who lost their lives in what came to be known as the Great War. Photo credit Joseph Clark/DOD
As the sound of taps pierced the cool evening air on Feb. 19 at the National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C., the somber bugle call became yet another reminder of Americans’ unwavering resolve to honor those who have served.
Since May 2021, buglers have played the 24 notes each day without fail at 5 p.m. in tribute to the 4.7 million Americans who served and 116,516 who lost their lives in what came to be known as the Great War.
As the sun began to set, taps echoed for the 1,000th time across the 1.76-acre memorial that lies just steps from the White House, marking a significant milestone for what organizers say is a living tribute for those who served.
“There is no one left from that war,” said Jari Villanueva, executive director of The Doughboy Foundation, the nonprofit that organizes daily taps at the memorial.
“We represent all those veterans who aren’t here to speak for themselves,” he said. “We do it through those 24 notes of taps. It’s a bugle call that every military member knows. They hear it their very first night of basic training to the end of their military career and afterwards.”
The Doughboy Foundation was created to work alongside the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission, a 12-member panel authorized by Congress in 2013 to establish a national memorial honoring those who served in World War I.
Since the memorial opened in April 2021, The Doughboy Foundation has continued its mission of stewardship for the memorial and remembrance of those who served in the war.
Read the entire article on the DOD web site.
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