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Author Topic: Live Taps  (Read 1081 times)

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Offline RobJohnson

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Live Taps
« on: May 25, 2009, 07:01:33 AM »
[youtube=425,350]8iXBjHRepYU[/youtube]

Tom Day, founder of Bugles Across American, runs his organization from the basement of his home near Chicago. Each year, his organization runs in the red, with Tom covering about $10,000 himself. God Bless this man. Donations can be made at the website. I found this a fitting story for Memorial Day. With up to 2000 WW II vets passing away every day, Tom makes sure that any family that wishes to have live Taps, is able to do so at the funeral.

http://xeml.buglesacrossamerica.org
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Offline RobJohnson

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Re: Live Taps
« Reply #1 on: May 25, 2009, 07:17:43 AM »
[youtube=425,350]1lNVTjS_5sQ[/youtube]

Another good interview from a couple years back
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Offline JohnnyReb

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Re: Live Taps
« Reply #2 on: May 25, 2009, 09:38:55 AM »
This reminds me of something and runs my blood presure up. Don't worry, I haven't gone all DUMMieish on you. It just reminds me that my son more or less refused to learn to blow the bugle for his Boy Scout Troop.

Short version of a long story. My son plays Trumpet in the school band. Scoutmaster gave my son a trumpet to learn "taps" and 7 other bugle sounds, songs ...commands, something". Anyway, because he couldn't play it perfectly right off the bat, he wouldn't practice, we went round that bush several times and "I" finally showed my ass. Another kid is trying to learn the bugle now and I still get a little "hot" whenever I think about it.

The kid that has been doing the bugle Calls (and he's damn good) will be turning 18 soon and have to leave the scouts. They need a replacement...and I love to hear a good bugler. Just wish it was my son doing it. Now you have the rest of the story.

Edited to add....The Troop bugler that's so good has blown taps at several funerals for old vets around here. He puts on his scout uniform, stands off at a distance and blows "Taps". Puts tears in my eyes every time.
« Last Edit: May 25, 2009, 09:53:49 AM by JohnnyReb »
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“The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism. But, under the name of ‘liberalism’, they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing how it happened.” - Norman Thomas, U.S. Socialist Party presidential candidate 1940, 1944 and 1948

"America is like a healthy body and its resistance is threefold: its patriotism, its morality, and its spiritual life. If we can undermine these three areas, America will collapse from within."  Stalin

Offline RobJohnson

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Re: Live Taps
« Reply #3 on: May 26, 2009, 01:30:56 AM »
I spent the day working, it kept my mind off things.

My primary care doctor is this town's only VA doctor as well, it keeps folks from a 180 minute round trip into the big city. On top of this, he is one of only two hospice doctors here in town. Today, Dr Frank Toppo was making house calls, to hospice patients. My occupation & the fact I was open for business today, played a part in this as well.

I was pretty touched to know he was out there making house calls, alot of the time the patients are vets or the spouse of a vet...

Dr. Toppo is 63, a vet himself, and has tried to quit the VA several times due to the headaches of providing health care for the federal govt. (single payer beware, LOL) But that would leave no doctor here in town...so his two week notice is never fruitful!

Growing up as a kid, I made several trips to the VA in Iowa City with my Grandparents, It was over a two hour ride, and alot of times, it was simply for an injection. My grandfather, a Navy WWII vet, was in poor health, and he would often lay down on a cot in the back of their Ford Econoline van for the trip. Many nights, for my grandfather's overnight stays at the VA, my grandmother would have to sleep on the same cot, with her loaded .25 under her pillow, in the parking lot of the VA. They did not have the money for a motel room and she was right where the nurses knew where to find her, in case she was needed.

I can fully appreciate a local VA doctor & clinic. It even allows me to overlook the fact that Sen Reid gave Dr Toppo & his wife almost front row tickets to the inauguration!
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