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Tom and Huck Page
Honoring Our Country's Heroes
All gave some; some gave all. Echo
Taps honors and remembers
NY State Gazetteer Pages 73, 59, 45, 44
From the
Bivoiac of the Dead
By Theodore O’Hara
The muffled drum’s sad
roll has beat
The
soldier’s last tattoo;
No more on life’s
parade shall meet
That brave
and fallen few.
On Fame’s eternal
camping-ground
Their
silent tents are spread,
And Glory guards, with
solemn round,
The bivouac
of the dead.
~Inscription on the
monument at the entrance to the Bath, NY National Cemetery ~
The purest, haunting ring of a bugle and the refrain
“Day is done, gone the sun from the lake, from the hill, from the sky.
All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.” should strike a bitter-sweet
chord in the heartstrings of every American. Taps - a musical tribute to
our soldiers who have served, suffered, and died, as well as those who day
to day risk their lives to provide all of us with a life that most take for
granted - became the focal point of an unprecedented event on May 21. The
Finger Lakes Chapter of Bugles Across America and the Bath Veterans
Administration teamed up to bring together this extraordinary event to not
only honor our service people but also to bring awareness to the
ever-diminishing population of veterans who share their time, skills, and
love of country and fellow veterans to play Taps at military funerals.
Amazing, chilling, and deeply moving; Echo Taps was a once in a lifetime
event - I will replay its images in my mind and heart forever.
I can’t remember where we first spotted the
announcement many months ago; perhaps a newspaper blurb or the Internet. It
read something like: “Echo Taps - on May 21 over 800 brass players will line
the roadways for 41 miles from Woodlawn National Cemetery in Elmira, New
York to the Bath National Cemetery in Bath, New York. Musicians will be
placed 80 to 100 yards apart and upon hearing the third note of Taps the
next musician will pick up and echo the melody throughout the route. A
ceremony will follow at the Bath National Cemetery.” It was an event not to
be missed. We immediately booked accommodations in Bath.
Bath probably wouldn’t be the first vacation
destination that most people would select, but looking back, this pretty
village in the Southern Tier should definitely be put on the list. A sunny
day greeted us as we wandered leisurely through the springtime countryside,
south on Route 88 out of Sodus, and picking up CR 25 into Clifton Springs -
a pleasant shortcut that winds along the Canandaigua Outlet, which looks
like a fine place to paddle. The village of Clifton Springs should be a
role model for small towns wishing to revitalize their downtowns while
preserving history; its elegant buildings, landscaping, and majestic trees
are stunning. Lunch at the Talk of the Town II Deli on Main Street was just
what we were looking for - our chicken Caesar and Buffalo chicken wraps were
huge and delicious. Our typical off the beaten path route continued south
taking Pearl Street out of Clifton Springs, then CR 20 through Orleans and
Pierson Corners; CR 245 into Gorham, then CR 24 into Cole Corners, where the
road magically turns into CR 27...until you cross Route 364 where it
transforms into CR 29. Go figure. It took us along Sugar Creek, winding
through the Guyanoga Valley into Branchport (home of Camp Good Days and
Special Times and my lifelong friends Mary and Dave Uetz) at the northern
end of Keuka Lake. Then it was down Route 54A following the western shore of
the lake. The narrow, snaking road is a beautiful drive with dozens of
waterfalls spilling out of the adjacent cliffs, but not the route we’d
choose if we had the camper in tow! (Oh yes...we now have a 28’ Dutchmen
“Toy Hauler”...our two 4-wheelers go in the back, nice accommodations up
front...another story!)
Our agenda included a stop at the DEC Fish Hatchery
just outside of Bath. They specialize in Lake and Rainbow Trout to stock in
lakes and rivers throughout the state. The park-like setting welcomes
visitors and you can pick up a brochure to take a self-guided tour of this
amazing complex of concrete holding tanks, spillways, special tanks for
“babies” and informational exhibits.
Arriving in Bath, we found our overnight accommodations
then reconnoitered the area where the final Echo Taps ceremony would be held
- the Bath VA complex and National Cemetery. They were ready for national
recognition; lawns, gardens, and paths were meticulously groomed. American
flags proudly lined the street leading into the cemetery. The inscription
on a monument at the entrance brought chills and tears...a fitting portent
of the next day’s events. Walking through the cemetery brought back
memories of our visit to Arlington National Cemetery last October; row on
row on row, thousands of uniform, rounded white stones mark the resting
places of those who gave all for their country. It’s a sight and a feeling
that one never forgets.
On Saturday morning, 866 volunteers from 30 states with
trumpets, bugles, trombones and tubas would line the roads beginning in
Elmira, to Route 352 through Big Flats to Corning, on Route 415 through
Riverside and Painted Post; on Route 333 through Campbell, and finally on
Route 415 through Bath and the National Cemetery. The first bugler was 15
year old Hannah Sollecito, a descendant of Union Army General Daniel
Butterfield who is credited with composing Taps together with his brigade
bugler Oliver Wilcox Norton during the Civil War. We headed to the cemetery
early, even though the Taps event wasn’t scheduled to “arrive” in Bath until
mid-afternoon. The road was already blocked with police and soldiers;
transportation in was to be by shuttle bus only but my trusty Press Pass was
warmly greeted and we were provided with an “official” press sign for our
vehicle and directed to the best parking area on the grounds and the press
reception area.
Around noon, a low rumble could be heard, then felt;
the first of the day’s events was about to reach the cemetery. Hundreds of
motorcycles adorned with flags and banners also rode the Echo Taps route in
tribute to our soldiers and finally made their way up the winding hillside
through the cemetery. It was an amazing spectacle. We heard the Empire
Statesmen playing down below and melodies from the Caledonian Highlanders
Pipe band echoed through the trees up the hill.
“I hear it...I hear it...” people softly said as they
waited; the tone of a bugle came from out on the highway, then the echo of
Taps sounded through the cemetery. Each bugler keyed off the previous one’s
notes perfectly and the final Taps was played twice by Fran Look, 80, a
World War II paratrooper and George Taylor, 74, who was a Korean War
intelligence specialist from Newark, Delaware. We chatted with George for
quite a while and learned that he has played Taps at military funerals more
than 10,000 times over the last 60 years.
We all headed down the hill for the closing ceremonies
where the Doughboys of Winneck Post #396 American Legion Color Guard proudly
marched across the field in their World War I uniforms, colors flying high.
Thousands of voices joined in The Pledge of Allegiance followed by the
National Anthem stunningly performed by Sergeant First Class Michael
Brignone. Speaker William Feeley, Network Director of the VA Healthcare
Network of Upstate New York, couldn’t have summed up the significance of the
event more appropriately, saying “Let us continue to honor, recognize, and
remember our veterans and always remember that freedom is not free.” The
crowd hushed as the bagpipers began to play Amazing Grace and a rifle and
canon salute pierced the air as the event everyone was waiting for began to
unfold. The hundreds of Taps players had been gathered up in busses and
whisked to the cemetery in Bath where they began to stream on to the field,
forming in massive waves of semi-circles. At the director’s nod, high above
on a lift, instruments were raised in unison and the final Mass Taps rang
out.
It’s going to be hard to beat this one...
To become a bugler to honor our veterans, visit
www.BuglesAcrossAmerica.org. There’s more on the Echo Taps event at
www.echotaps.org and you can read about the history of Taps at
www.tapsbugler.com.
“Fading light dims the sight; and a star gems the
sky, gleaming bright; from afar, drawing nigh, falls the night.
Thanks and praise for our days; ‘neath the sun,
‘neath the stars, ‘neath the sky. As we go, this we know, God is nigh.”
This story is dedicated to my friend, Guy. May the
trumpets in heaven ring out to greet you dear friend. All is well...safely
rest.
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