Posts Tagged ‘Taps’
Posted by glennled on December 30, 2016
Wreaths Across America, Veterans Cemetery, Evergreen-Washelli, Seattle, 12-17-2016
When the 7th Annual Wreaths Across America (WAA) ceremony commenced on Saturday, 17 December 2016, at Veterans Cemetery, Evergreen-Washelli, in north Seattle, the temperature was 27 degrees (F). Members of the VFW Post 1040 Honor Guard teased me (with a little too much glee) that the mouthpiece of my Getzen bugle would freeze to my lips when I sounded “Taps.” But I’m an old dog. That was Nev-va Gonna Hop-pen!
The local ceremony is hosted by the Navy Wives Club of America (NWCA), Totem 277 (Seattle to Burlington), and Lorraine Zimmerman again was the emcee. The ceremony is now held annually on the 3rd Saturday in December.
The guest speaker was Michael Schindler, Navy veteran and CEO of Operation Military Family Cares, a non-profit organization based in Edmonds, where he and his family live (see http://www.OMFCares.org). He spoke about each of the three elements of WAA’s mission:
- REMEMBER our fallen U.S. veterans
- HONOR those who serve
- TEACH our children the value of freedom
Afterwards, I told him that his speech was worthy of being delivered on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Here are a few excerpts.
“Fewer than 7% of Americans living today have worn the uniform—and less than 1% today are on the frontlines actively standing guard over our freedom. So it is our duty as parents, teachers, as leaders to help our youth understand the need for sacrifice…Imagine for a moment if we taught and required our youth to SERVE first…that “giving up” of time [to serve and honor] becomes an investment in others. And ultimately an investment in themselves. That is value [added to a person’s life]…Today it is our obligation to teach our children that freedom requires sacrifice…If you choose to wear the uniform, you will become one of American’s Greatest Assets—and your investment of time, sweat, tears, will result in a reward that is priceless—freedom.”
Color Guard marches past Honor Guard
For more information about WAA, please see my past blog posts regarding this annual ceremony. Simply use the Archives in the left column of this blog or search for “Wreath” in the search box in the upper right column to find my posts of:
- 5 February 2016
- 28 April 2015
- 9 January 2013
- 16 December 2011
Photos are by Tonya Christoffersen, courtesy of NWCA, Totem 277. Please click on any photo below to enlarge it.
Posted in Ceremonies & Celebrations | Tagged: bugle, Evergreen Washelli, Getzen, Michael Schindler, mouthpiece, Navy Wives Club of America, Taps, VFW Post 1040, Wreaths Across America | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on November 10, 2016
Skyline at First Hill is a Presbyterian retirement community in downtown Seattle near St. James Cathedral and Harborview Hospital. Between its two wings, one for independent living (Skyline Towers) and the other for assisted living (Skyline Terraces), is a courtyard. That’s where I stood in the rain on 2 November to sound “Taps” on my Getzen bugle after the responsive reading of “We Remember Them” by Sylvan Kamens and Rabbi Jack Riemer, which is found in the Jewish Prayer Book (please see http://hmd.org.uk/resources/poetry/we-remember-them-sylvan-kamens-rabbi-jack-riemer). Then “Taps” closed the second annual “Skyline Memorial Walk” ceremony hosted by Skyline’s chaplain, The Reverend Elizabeth Graham.
Earlier, the residents and staff of Skyline had been invited to submit the names of veterans and others whom they wished to be remembered in advance of Veterans Day, 11 November. Their names—about 200—were read aloud, interspersed with periodic bell ringing, before the audience. Twenty, mostly elderly people gathered in the Madrona Community Room: two men, 18 women, silent in their memories of their dear veterans of WWI, WWII, and every conflict since, and others.
The names were then written on individual placards staked into the fertile soil in the planters in the courtyard, where they remained for a week so that the residents, staff and guests could walk among them. 
Isn’t it amazing? In place after place across the nation, around the world, year after year, our veterans are honored. The lowest, the highest, it matters not. To paraphrase a famous saying, when you put on the military uniform, whether on active duty, retired, or national guard or reserve, you write a blank check at that point in your life, made payable to “The United States of America,” for an amount of “up to and including your life.” Engraved on my bugle is a citation of the Biblical verse, John 15:13. We honor such men and women.
Rev. Graham found me through my membership in Bugles Across America (please see http://www.buglesacrossamerica.org/ and my post of 4 May 2015). I’m glad she did. I’m glad I played cornet through high school and college. I’m glad I teach private trumpet lessons. I’m glad I teach beginning brass at Skyview Jr. High School in Bothell. I’m glad I play trumpet in the Husky Alumni Band. I’m glad I play in the Alderwood Community Church Orchestra in Lynnwood. I’m glad I’m the VFW Post 1040 Bugler. All these things enable me to sound “Taps” for veterans every chance I get—it’s my honor, and I’m grateful. Lucky me.
Please click on any photo to enlarge it.
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Westward view from the courtyard, Skyline Retirement Community, Seattle
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Skyline Towers from the courtyard
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Skyline Terraces from the courtyard
Posted in Ceremonies & Celebrations | Tagged: brass, bugle, bugler, Bugles Across America, cornet, Getzen, Husky Alumni Band, lessons, orchestra, Skyview Retirement Community, Taps, trumpet, veterans | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on July 22, 2016
“Echo Taps” partners, Memorial Day, 2016. Photo by Gary Walderman.
He’s only a seventh grader, going into eighth this fall, but he plays the trumpet with confidence and accuracy. So I asked him to play “Echo Taps” with me at the Memorial Day ceremony on 30 May at Veterans Park in Lynnwood. Other students of mine have played the “echo” part with me there, but they were all older and in high school. Also, those other students had all taken private trumpet lessons with me. This trumpeter, however, was my student when he was in the beginning bands at Skyview Jr. High School in Bothell. He’s doing well in the 7th grade band and jazz band at SJHS now.
“Echo Taps,” Glenn Ledbetter, VFW Post 1040 Bugler. Photo by Janelle Squires.
The weather this year was the best ever in my five years as VFW Post 1040 Bugler. On Memorial Day, I get to sound three bugle calls: “Assembly” (to open the ceremony), “Echo Taps” (to conclude the ceremony), and “To the Color” (when the flag is hoisted from half- to full-mast at noon). Attendance at this half-hour ceremony and the one on Veterans Day (11 November) is growing.
My Getzen bugle has two tuning slides. I use the G slide for “Tattoo,” “Taps,” and “Funeral March,” and the Bb slide for all other bugle calls. Love that horn!
Please click on any photo to enlarge it.
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Lynnwood Police, faithful attendees of this annual Memorial Day ceremony. Photo by Nancy MacDonald.
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Northwest Junior Pipe Band leads the opening parade. Photo by Janelle Squires.
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Northwest Junior Pipe Band. Photo by Nancy MacDonald.
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Color Guard, Nile Shriners, Mountlake Terrace. Photo by Janelle Squires.
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VFW Post 1040 Honor Guard, Lynnwood. Photo by Nancy MacDonald.
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Nile Shriners, Mountlake Terrace. Photo by Nancy MacDonald.
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Northwest Junior Pipe Band. Photo by Nancy MacDonald.
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VFW Post 1040 Honor Guard, Lynnwood. Photo by Gary Walderman.
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“Echo Taps,” Glenn Ledbetter, VFW Post 1040 Bugler. Photo by Janelle Squires.
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Three Bricks–Herb, Mac, and Glenn. Photo by Janelle Squires.
Posted in Ceremonies & Celebrations | Tagged: Assembly, band, bugle, bugler, echo taps, Funeral March, Getzen, horn, jazz, lessons, Taps, Tattoo, To the Color, trumpet, trumpeter | Leave a Comment »
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 February 5, 2016
“Never Forget”
On this same day at this same hour of every year, the same ceremony is conducted in more than 900 locations across America and around the world—wreaths are placed on graves in military cemeteries on the second Saturday of December. It is called Wreaths Across America (WAA) and is an outgrowth of the Arlington Wreath Project, started in 1992. As the popular ceremony spread across the country, WAA was formed in 2007.
Here in Seattle, the theme of the 6th annual ceremony was “Never Forget.” Michael G. Reagan, famed artist of the “Fallen Heroes Project,” was the Keynote Speaker. Reagan was awarded the Citizen Service Before Self Honor (known to some as The Civilian Medal of Honor) on 25 March 2015 by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation in Arlington, VA.
The local ceremony was held at Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery, Evergreen-Washelli, on 12 December. Six military Medal of Honor recipients are buried there. The Navy Wives Club of America (NWCA), Totem 277, led by Donna Turner and Crystal Wilkerson, started hosting this event in 2010. Lorraine Zimmerman is the club’s WAA project leader and site coordinator for Everygreen-Washelli. Totem 277’s territory is from Seattle to Burlington.The primary element of the annual ceremony is the ceremonial wreath dedication by representatives of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines, and POW/MIAs.
“Never Forget”–William W. Wilson, former POW, places flag on wreath, followed by hand salute. Photo by Jacque Hodgen.
Zimmerman introduced the POW/MIA representative with these moving words: “William (Bill) W. Wilson, former Prisoner of the Vietnam War, made 33 missions over NVN and Laos, flying an F-111 before being shot down while bombing the Red River docks in downtown Hanoi on 22 December 1972. He evaded capture for a week, was nearly rescued by a Super Jolly Green helicopter, and then was captured by the North Vietnamese on 29 December. He spent a month in the ‘Heartbreak” section of the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ before being moved to the ‘Zoo.’ He returned to U.S. control on the last C-141A out of Hanoi on 29 March 1973 during Operation Homecoming. Bill will now place a flag [on the POW/MIA wreath] in honor of the more than 83,000 United States Servicemen from all branches of the service whose last known status was either Prisoner of War or Missing in Action. These individuals have never returned to their families and homes. We will not forget you.”
Among the many voluntary participants was the VFW Post 1040 Honor Guard. As Post Bugler, I played “Assembly” on my Super Olds cornet at 9 a.m. as Zimmerman issued the Call to Order and the 62nd Airlift Wing Air Force Honor Guard presented the colors. To close the ceremony, the VFW Post 1040 Honor Guard fired a perfect rifle salute, and I sounded “Taps.” Afterwards, participants and audience members placed wreaths on numerous tombstones in the cemetery.
For more information, please see:
One photo below is by Geoffrey T. Lewis. All others are by Jacque Hodgen. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.
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“Never Forget”
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VFW Post 1040 Honor Guard
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Glenn Ledbetter, VFW Post 1040 Bugler. Photo by Geoffrey T. Lewis
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62nd Airlift Wing Air Force Color Guard
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“Never Forget”
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“Never Forget”
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“Never Forget”
Posted in Ceremonies & Celebrations | Tagged: Assembly, bugler, cornet, Fallen Heroes Project, Honor Guard, MIA, Michael G Reagan, Navy Wives Clubs of America, Post 1040, POW, Super Olds, Taps, VFW | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on November 26, 2015
Sarah Dunsmore, Trumpeter, sounds “Taps,” Veterans Day, 2015
The program for the Veterans Day Ceremony announced that as Post Bugler for VFW Post 1040, I would play “Assembly” to open the 30-minute ceremony at Veterans Park in Lynnwood on 11 November. Then at the conclusion of the event, my trumpet student and I would perform “Echo Taps.” But at the last moment, I could not play.
So the young lady, a senior at Juanita High School in Kirkland who has taken trumpet lessons from me for the past six years, had to solo. And that she did. Today, as I post this article, is Thanksgiving Day. I am thankful to Sarah Dunsmore—she “saved my bacon.”
Meanwhile, others on the program performed as planned. That included the following:
- Northwest Jr. Pipe Band
- Legion of Honor, Nile Shrine Center
- Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 1040 Honor Guard
- Martin Spani, VFW Post 1040 Past Commander
- Nicola Smith, Mayor, Lynnwood
- Manuel Ventosa, US Army WWII Veteran
- Jim Smith, Former Lynnwood City Councilmember
- John Beam, Pat McGrady, Bob Jeske, Ray Colby, Max Bettman, Veterans
- Myra Rintakmaki, Gold Star Mothers
- VFW Post 1040 Honor Guard
- Boy Scouts of America, Lynnwood Troup 49
- Cub Scouts of America, Pack 331
Please click on any photo to enlarge it.
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VFW Post 1040 Honor Guard
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Entrance Procession, Legion of Honor, Nile Shrine Center
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Veterans Day Ceremony, Veterans Park, Lynnwood, 11-11-2015
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Martin Spani, VFW Post 1040 Past Commander, US Marine Corps
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Myra Rintamaki, Gold Star Mothers, escorted by Frank Martinez, VFW Post 1040 Honor Guard Captain
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Northwest Jr. Pipe Band
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Glenn Ledbetter and Sarah Dunsmore, trumpeters
Posted in Ceremonies & Celebrations | Tagged: Assembly, echo taps, lesson, Northwest Jr. Pipe Band, solo, Taps, trumpet, trumpeter, Veterans of Foreign Wars, VFW | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on August 18, 2015
To pay tribute to our nation’s fallen service members, the Veterans Resource Center, headed by Chris Szarek, of Edmonds Community College (ECC) hosted its second annual Memorial Day ceremony on its campus on 20 May.
The U.S. Navy provided the Color Guard, while VFW Post 1040 of Lynnwood provided the Honor Guard. As this post’s bugler, I closed the ceremony by sounding “Taps” at the Flag Pavilion (please see video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PurAkAAgBU&feature=youtu.be).
For coverage of last year’s event, see my post of 17 June 2014. Below are photos of this year’s event, courtesy of ECC Veterans Resource Center and American Legion Post 234, Mountlake Terrace, WA. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.
Posted in Ceremonies & Celebrations | Tagged: American Legion Post 234, bugler, Chris Szarek, Edmonds Community College, Mountlake Terrace, Taps, U.S. Navy, Veterans Resource Center, VFW Post 1040 | 2 Comments »
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 »
Glenn's Trumpet Notes 