Glenn’s Trumpet Notes

Glenn Ledbetter and Aidan, “Echo Taps” buglers

Did you know that “Echo Taps” is not an official U.S. military bugle call and is not to be sounded at funeral and graveside ceremonies? But because people like it, it is often used at other ceremonies, as it was this year on 11 November at Veterans Park in Lynnwood. During my time as bugler for VFW Post 1040, we first used a trumpet student of mine to play the “echo” part on Memorial Day, 1 June 2013. Ever since, we have continued to use them on both Memorial Day in May and Veterans Day in November (except one when I was sick).

In all, so far, six of my students have sounded “Echo Taps” with me in seven such ceremonies—Josiah, Vaughan, Robert (twice), Sarah, Gavin, and Aidan. Aidan did so this past Veterans Day. He is an 8th grader at Washington Middle School in Seattle and started taking private trumpet lessons with me earlier this year (see my blog post of 13 April 2016).

If you’re curious about additional coverage of “Echo Taps” in this blog, please see my posts of:

• 19 July 2011—echo by Roy Pollock, Medal of Honor ceremony
• 2 July 2012—echo by Bob O’Neal, War of 1812 Bicentennial ceremony
• 19 November 2012—echo by Richard Haydis, Veterans Day ceremony
• 1 June 2013—echo by Josiah Chupik, Memorial Day ceremony
• 19 June 2014—echo by Robert Zhou, Memorial Day ceremony
• 15 April 2015—echo by Sarah Dunsmore, Veterans Day ceremony
• 17 September 2015—echo by Robert Zhou, Memorial Day ceremony
• 22 July 2016—echo by Gavin [name withheld], Memorial Day ceremony

Photo by Rick Grambihler.