Posts Tagged ‘bugle’
Posted by glennled on July 20, 2016
Memorial Day is the annual holiday when America honors its war dead. Raelynn Ricarte came to Edmonds, WA from Hood River, OR in the Columbia River Gorge area to deliver the keynote message of this year’s Memorial Day ceremony on 25 May at Edmonds Community College—“Be an American Worth Dying For.” Her son, U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Jesse Atay, deployed five times in both Iraq and Afghanistan during nearly 13 years in military service, first as a platoon leader and then as the lead on a combat assault team. The horror of September 11, 2001, sent Atay to war.
Raelyn Ricarte, The Gorge Heroes Club and author, “Living the Oath: Warriors Take It, Families Endure It”
Ricarte has earned the right to deliver that message. She vowed to take care of her son’s “dudes” through action, not just lip service. She started sending care packages to troops in the Middle East, using small amounts of donated funds. That eventually grew so much that she founded The Gorge Heroes Club, a non-profit pro-troop group that now sends the troops thousands of care packages. Please see http://gorgeheroesclub.blogspot.com/.
When you hear or read her stories about the agonies of loss and trials of grief which the families of America’s war dead go through, you understand how she can say to all our citizens, “Be an American Worth Dying For.”
To me and others I know, it was the best Memorial Day ceremony held at Edmonds Community College so far. Everyone on the program spoke from the heart and told their own personal stories. You got their messages. And after the wreath-laying ceremony outside on campus and after Kyle Gaul, Northwest Junior Pipe Band, played “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes, I had the privilege of sounding “Taps” one more time on my golden bugle, fading into silence at the end, concluding the program.
Please click on any photo to enlarge it. Outdoor photos courtesy of Veterans Resource Center, ECC.
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James Blossey, Commander, Edmonds VFW Post 8870, U.S Navy, Ret.
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Art Ceniza, Asst City Administrator, Lynnwood, speaking of his late father, who at 103, was one of the last survivors of the infamous 60-mile Bataan Death March in the Philippines in 1942 during WWII
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Steve Pennington, alumnus, Edmonds CC Foundation, Board of Directors, U.S. Air Force, Ret.
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Dr. Jean Hernandez, speaking about her recently deceased father, a WWII Veteran
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Presentation to Dr. Jean Hernandez, posthumously honoring her father, a WWII Veteran
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Chris Szarek, Veterans Resource Center, ECC, speaking to Dr. Jean Hernandez, President, Edmonds Community College
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Eric Christensen, reading “Just A Common Soldier,” a poem by A. Lawrence Vaincourt (1987)
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Monica McNeal, American Gold Star Mothers
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Laying of the Wreath, Chris Szarek and Monica McNeal, at the Boots to Books Memorial, ECC campus
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“Taps,” VFW Post 140 Honor Guard, Lynnwood
Posted in Ceremonies & Celebrations | Tagged: bagpipes, bugle, Chris Szarek, Dr. Jean Hernandez, Edmonds Community Club, Living the Oath, Northwest Junior Pipe Band, Peter Al, Taps, The Gorge Heroes Club | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on July 19, 2016
Photo by Carol Sheldon
Pacific Little League Day, 23 April, gave me the opportunity to show off my Getzen Field Trumpet again when I sounded the bugle call, “To the Color,” as Boy Scout Troop 49 presented the colors before a large crowd of parents, relatives and friends at Lynndale Park in Lynnwood.
I love that horn! I should let the trumpet students to whom I give private lessons play it. Bet they’d be amazed.
This is my fifth year in a row sounding this bugle call immediately before the singing of the National Anthem. For more in-depth articles and photos of Pacific Little League (www.pacificlittleleague.com) and this special ceremony, please see my blog posts of:
- 22 May 2012
- 26 May 2013
- 7 June 2014
- 4 May 2015
Please click on any photo to enlarge it.
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Photo by Nancy MacDonald
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Photo by Carol Sheldon
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Photo by Nancy MacDonald
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Color Guard, Boy Scout Troop 49, Lynnwood, preparing to “Present the Colors.” Photo by K.J. Squires.
Posted in Ceremonies & Celebrations, Uncategorized | Tagged: Boy Scout Troop 49, bugle, Getzen, horn, lessons, Pacific Little League, trumpet | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on September 20, 2015
Posted in Recitals | Tagged: band, bugle, Carnegie Hall, Inglemoor High School, lessons, recital, The Chicken Dance, trumpet, Trumpet Concerto in E-Flat Major, trumpeter, wind ensemble | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on September 17, 2015
Glenn (Taps) and Robert (Echo)
It was the same this year but not the same. Same national holiday, same place, same participating organizations, same order of events, etc. But when it came to 
sounding “Echo Taps,” this was the first time that one of my trumpet students, Robert, was ending his senior year in high school and planning to attend college in the fall. Farewell to Inglemoor High School in Kenmore and hello to Washington State University in Pullman–a big leap for a young man!
This is the second time he sounded “Echo Taps” with me at this place–please see my post of 19 June 2014. For more about Memorial Day, please see my posts of 18 August 2015, 1 June 2013, 2 June 2012, and 3 June 2011 in the Archives (left).
All photos by Nancy MacDonald unless otherwise marked. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.
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Martin Spani, USMC (Ret.), Master of Ceremonies
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“Welcome,” by Nicola Smith, Mayor, City of Lynnwood
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“God Bless America,” Northwest Jr. Pipe Band, Kevin Auld, Director
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Jim Smith, former Lynnwood City Councilman, sang “Ballad of the Green Berets” and “America the Beautiful”
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Myra Rintamak, escorted by Frank Martinez, lays the Gold Star Mothers’ Wreath
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Glenn Ledbetter, “Echo Taps,” 5-25-’15. Photo by Janelle Squires.
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Glenn Ledbetter sounds “Echo Taps” on Getzen Field Trumpet (bugle)
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Glenn, Robert, and his parents
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Three relatives…
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Comrades gather around the flag
Posted in Ceremonies & Celebrations | Tagged: Assembly, bugle, echo taps, Getzen Field Trumpet, Inglemoor High School, To the Color, trumpet, Washington State University | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on May 4, 2015
Washington District 1 and Northwest Little League Champions, comprised of Pacific Little League All-Stars, played in the 2014 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Is there a future Seattle Mariners baseball star in the Pacific Little League? The huge crowd in Lynnwood on 25 April 2015, might reasonably hope so, given the exceptionally strong performance of its All-Stars last year when they played in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Celebration of their significant accomplishment highlighted this year’s Pacific Little League Day.
Glenn Ledbetter, VFW Post 1040 Bugler, sounds “To the Color”
And for the fourth year in a row, I was privileged to participate by sounding “To The Color,” this time on my new Getzen bugle, while Girl Scout Troop #44193 presented the colors to the hundreds of players and their fans at Harry H. Moore Field, Lynndale Park.
Every season opening is filled with excitement and hope, for “every day is a new day, with no mistakes in it,” as Anne of Green Gables says in the movie. For more information about and photos of the very special Pacific Little League, this venue, and this annual event, see my previous blog posts of 22 May 2012, 26 May 2013, and 7 June 2014.
Unless otherwise identified, these photos are by Carol Sheldon, Michelle Corsi, and Nancy MacDonald. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.
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Echelbarger Fieldhouse at Harry H. Moore Field, Lynndale Park, Lynnwood, WA
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Color Guard, walk-through rehearsal prior to the ceremony
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Glenn Ledbetter organizes Girl Scout Color Guard before ceremony begins. Photo by David Pan, Editor, Lynnwood Today.
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Parade of Players – 1
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Parade of Players – 2
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“My first drone!”
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Demonstrating how to make a sound on a bugle (with mute in bell)
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Standby….
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Color Guard awaits the command, “Present the Colors”
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Color Guard, Girls Scouts Troop #44193, in position during “To the Color”
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“To the Color” by Glenn Ledbetter, VFW Post 1040 Bugler
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“Star Spangled Banner” by Jaymie Studioso
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Reciting the Little League Pledge
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2014 Washington District 1 and Northwest Little League Champions – Robley Corsi, NW Regional Coach of the Year
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Edmonds Mayor Dave Earling throws ceremonial first pitch
Posted in Ceremonies & Celebrations | Tagged: bugle, bugler, Getzen, Girl Scouts, Little League World Series, Lynndale Park, Mayor Dave Earling, mute, Pacific Little League, To the Color, VFW Post 1040 | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on May 4, 2015
Getzen Field Trumpet, M2003E, with B-flat tuning slide
Getzen Bugle with 3C Mouthpiece and Carrying Case
On 17 February 2015, UPS delivered a carefully wrapped package from Getzen Company, Inc. of Elkhorn, Wisconsin directly to my front door. Instantly, I knew what was inside—my new Getzen Field Trumpet!—commonly known as a bugle. I played it publicly for the first time with the Honor Guard, VFW Post 1040, on the following Saturday at a graveside service at the IOOF Cemetery in Monroe, WA. It’s sonorous!
I bought model M2003E with a clear lacquer finish. It bears logos for Getzen and Bugles Across America (BAA) and a special etching on mine: John 15:13. As you know, that’s where Jesus says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
The bell is one piece, hand-hammered yellow brass. Like all Getzens I’ve ever played, it blows easily, with minimal resistance, and the tone is solid and rich. I bought the extra G tuning slide, too. I plan to use the G tuning slide for “Taps” and “Funeral March” and the B-flat slide for most other bugle calls. The U.S. Army and Navy use at least 67 bugle calls.
In addition to being Post Bugler for VFW Post 1040, I am also a member of BAA, a national organization that furnishes live buglers for military funerals, memorials and ceremonies. The designation, “American Heritage Elite,” is given by Getzen to those field trumpets purchased by members of BAA. See http://www.buglesacrossamerica.org. For more about Getzen instruments, see http://www.getzen.com.
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Getzen Carrying Case
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Bugle with G Tuning Slide
Posted in Ceremonies & Celebrations | Tagged: BAA, bugle, bugler, Bugles Across America, field trumpet, Funeral March, Getzen, Taps, VFW Post 1040 | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on April 30, 2015
Vietnam War Commemoration Flag
On 7 February 2015, some 150 veterans, family members, and friends gathered at the Tulalip Hibulb Cultural Center, north of Everett, WA, to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War. The theme of the ceremony was “Welcome Home,” exemplified by displaying the new Vietnam War Commemoration Flag.
In a Proclamation (see http://www.vietnamwar50th.com), President Barack Obama declared that the period 28 May 2012 through 11 November 2025 is designated as “Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War.” He called upon federal, state, and local officials to honor, with appropriate programs, ceremonies and activities, “our Vietnam veterans, our fallen, our wounded, those unaccounted for, our prisoners of war, their families, and all who served.” That’s just what the hosts did on this occasion. The sponsors were the Tulalip Veterans Center and the Washington State Gold Star Mothers (see my posts of 06/17/2014 and 06/19/2014).
USS Koiner (DE-331)
Some 15 symbols on the flag are explained at http://www.vietnamwar50th.com/about/about_the_flag. Martin Spani of VFW Post 1040, Lynnwood, spoke about each one. The message at the bottom of the flag has special meaning to Vietnam vets: “A Grateful Nation Thanks and Honors You.” The keynote address was presented by Vietnam veteran, Michael Reagan, of the Fallen Heroes Project (see my posts of 11/19/2011, 11/19/2012, and 06/17/2014).
To open the ceremony, I sounded the bugle call, “Assembly.” At its conclusion, I sounded “Taps.” I also am a Vietnam War veteran—Lt., USNR, served in Operation Market Time off Vietnam in 1965-67, USS Koiner (DE-331), Operations Officer. The Koiner was home-ported in Agana, Guam during the Vietnam War. She was named for Ltjg. James Duval Koiner who died during the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942.
You may click on any image to enlarge it.
Posted in Ceremonies & Celebrations | Tagged: Assembly, bugle, Commemoration Flag, Koiner, Martin Spani, Michael Reagan, Taps, Tulalip Hibulb Cultural Center, VFW Post 1040, Vietnam War, Washington State Gold Star Mothers | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on April 28, 2015
Lianna Bennett sits at the headstone of her grandfather, U.S. Army Col. William W. Etchemendy, during Wreaths Across America’s ceremony, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2014, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
Every December, every year, the crowds keep getting bigger as the Wreaths Across America ceremony spreads and becomes more well-known. Here in Seattle, it was celebrated for the fifth time on 13 December 2014, at the Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery at Evergreen-Washelli. The prime sponsor of the local event is Navy Wives Clubs of America #277, led by Lorraine Zimmerman.
The 1st Corps Command Honor Guard performed Color Guard duties. For the fifth year in a row, the Honor Guard of VFW Post 1040 in Lynnwood furnished the rifle team and bugler for the rifle salute and bugle calls, “Assembly” and “Taps,” and as you know, I’m 1040’s Post Bugler. I’ve posted two other articles in this blog about this annual event (see my posts of 12/16/2011 and 1/9/2013).
This ceremony has its roots in the patriotic experience of the owner of the Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine, in 1992, when he and others took some surplus wreaths to be laid at selected tombstones, including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. At the third website in the list below, you can read the history of how this ceremony has spread nationwide since 2007, when the non-profit organization, Wreaths Across America (WAA), was formed.
In 2010, WAA and its national network of volunteers laid more than 220,000 memorial wreaths at 545 locations in the USA and beyond. One year later, Navy Wives Club #277 joined that group of volunteers in bringing the ceremony to Evergreen-Washelli and Seattle.
For additional information, please go to the following websites:
Posted in Ceremonies & Celebrations | Tagged: Arlington National Cemetery, Assembly, bugle, bugler, Evergreen Washelli, Navy Wives Club #277, Taps, Veterans Memorial Cemetery, VFW Post 1040, Wreaths Across America | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on April 15, 2015
Trumpeters who sounded “Echo Taps”
Why is this holiday on 11 November? Because that’s when World War I ended—at the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918. And that helps explain why, 96 years later on Veterans Day 2014, the memorial ceremony at Veterans Park in Lynnwood, WA commenced at 11 a.m.
VFW Post 1040 hosted the event, attended by hundreds of people who gathered to honor all veterans. Participants included Lynnwood Mayor Nicola Smith, Puget Sound Honor Flight, Northwest Junior Pipe Band, Boy Scouts Troup 49, Cub Scouts from BSA Pack 331, Legion of Honor of the Nile Shrine Center, and the VFW Post 1040 Honor Guard.
As VFW Post 1040 bugler, I sounded three bugle calls: “Assembly” to call the people to order to commence the ceremony, “Echo Taps” to conclude the ceremony, and afterwards at noon, “To the Color,” to raise the flag from half-staff to full-mast. In playing “Echo Taps,” I was joined by a trumpet student of mine from Juanita High School in Kirkland. Please click on the photo to enlarge it.
Posted in Ceremonies & Celebrations | Tagged: Assembly, bugle, bugler, echo taps, Northwest Junior Pipe Band, To the Color, trumpeters, Veterans Day, VFW Post 1040 | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on June 28, 2014
John Zambrano and Elmer Johnson of VFW Post 1040 retire the old flag, while Glenn Ledbetter sounds “Retreat”
Flags wear out and need to be replaced. There’s one bugle call, “Retreat,” for lowering the U.S. flag, and another, “To the Color,” for hoisting the flag. I got to play both on 12 June at a flag ceremony at Crista, headquartered in Shoreline. The faded, darkened, tattered flag came down, and the new, bright, clean one ran up the pole. About 50 residents attended the dignified ceremony.
Crista, formed in 1948, describes itself as a family for seven Christian ministries. One of these is Senior Living (see http://www.cristaseniors.com). The quarters for seniors who can live independently are located at Cristwood Park on the southwest part of the 56-acre Crista campus. This is where the worn-out flag flew. And this is where Elizabeth Hudson, Activities Coordinator, organized and emceed the flag ceremony. She said it was the residents themselves who suggested that the old flag be replaced. VFW Post 1040 furnished the Color Guard, consisting of two members to lower, fold, unfold, and raise the flags, and me to sound the two bugle calls.
The well-known King’s Schools (K-12 education) is among the ministries located on campus (see http://www.kingsschools.org).
Photos are courtesy of Crista Senior Living. To enlarge any photo, simply click on it.
Posted in Ceremonies & Celebrations | Tagged: bugle, bugler, call, Crista, Cristwood, Elizabeth Hudson, King's Schools, Retreat, Shoreline, To the Color, VFW Post 1040 | Leave a Comment »
Glenn's Trumpet Notes 