The Journey: Mr. and Mrs. Little Go to
Washington
May 17 – 19, 2012
Thursday, May 17
We helped get Ava ready for her return
to day care this morning while Mike and Kelly were getting dressed for
work. When they were all out of the
house, we got dressed, packed the car, and with great anticipation, set out on
our journey to the Washington, DC.
We found a
rest area about halfway between Richmond and DC and decided it would be a good
place for one last practice session before going to Arlington on Saturday. Barbara did some fun photography while I
warmed up, and then we went to a fairly isolated part of the area so I could do
a run-through of Taps. We were far
enough away from everyone that I doubt that anyone heard me playing above the
constant noise from the I-95 traffic.
In any case,
it was a good practice session and I was pleased with the results, especially
since my practice time was so limited the past few days.
+++++++
After leaving the rest area, we
continued our journey north, stopping at a mall in Dale City to meet up with a
classmate of ours from Artesia High School.
It has been 50 years since we have seen most of our graduating class
members, but it didn’t take long for us to get reacquainted with Carrie (Bates)
Foote, who lives in Woodbridge, Virginia.
The three of
us prowled around the mall for a few minutes and then Carrie suggested some
nearby restaurants for lunch. We settled
on Red Robin and followed her around the parking lot until we got there.
We shared a
wonderful meal and had a great time getting caught up on each other’s lives
(the condensed versions). When we
ordered our food, we told the waitress that we were having a mini-reunion and
that we hadn’t seen each other in 50 years.
The young woman seemed at least a little impressed, but we didn’t know
how much until she brought us our bill and we saw that she had written, “It was
a pleasure to serve you on this special occasion...have a wonderful
visit!” Well, with the good food, great
service, and that note, you can bet that she received a nice tip!
We said our
goodbyes in the parking lot and Carried said that she and husband Norm would
see us Saturday morning in Arlington for the Taps 150 Commemoration.
+++++++
We had told Carrie how easy the drive
had been from Richmond, but it didn’t take long after leaving Dale City to get
clogged up in the DC area traffic. We
were alternately driving either 25 miles per hour or 65 miles per hour, without
having any idea why, except to stay behind the truck in front of us and ahead
of the truck behind us.
Fortunately,
we made our way safely through the Outer Beltway and onto I-295 without losing
our tempers and our minds, although there were a couple of times when that
could have easily happened. Traffic
became completely clogged as we approached the Pentagon and our cutoff road
leading to Arlington and Rosslyn. Once
we made the switch, it was an easier than expected drive to Arlington National
Cemetery, where we wanted to stop first to get the lay of the land for Saturday
morning.
It was during
the drive from the Outer Beltway to the cemetery that I proposed, studied,
researched, and affirmed the following: J.Arthur Little’s DC Postulate –
“Anyone who desires to work or live in Washington, DC or its surrounding
environs, and who makes application to do so, should henceforth and immediately
be denied such application on the grounds of mental incompetency.
++++++
We were
pleasantly surprised at the relative ease of negotiating the traffic circle
that leads from the highway to the cemetery, and how quickly we were able to
get through all the traffic to the spacious parking garage. We were sharing space with lots of cars and
buses, but it didn’t get nearly as complicated as we thought it would.
Our first
stop, for two reasons, was at the Visitors Center. The first reason was that it had been a long
drive from Dale City to the cemetery and we were in dire need of locating the
necessary rooms.
The second
reason was that we like to walk through visitors centers at various parks to
get all the information we can about the places before starting to explore
them.
As we got into the main room, our eyes
were immediately drawn to a huge quilt display.
We looked at the quilt first and saw that it was made up of a large
number of squares, with each square containing a photo of a child against a BDU
jacket. It wasn’t until we started
reading the accompanying material that we found that the display was “The Lost
Heroes Quilt,” with a school-age photo of a military person from each state
killed in action during the Iraq/Afghanistan wars. With each photo was a brief description,
provided by family members, of the child’s hopes and dreams at that age. If one needed a reminder of the grimness of
war, it was amply provided by these pictures of young boys and girls whose
hopes and dreams were cut short in the service of their nation.
The quilt has
been on a national tour of military museums and is currently held for viewing
at Arlington National Cemetery.
+++++++
We walked out of the visitors enter
into the cemetery proper and were at once stunned to silence and tears by the
sight of the Garden of Stone planted in the beautiful green plains and hills of
Arlington National Cemetery, the most hallowed of resting places for our
country’s heroes and their families.
Although we
have both been to Arlington on previous trips, it was as if we had never seen
it quite this way. Perhaps it was
because of our reason for being there this time, or because we have seen so
much pain and suffering by military families through our association with the
Patriot Guard Riders. Whatever the
reason, we knew that this would be a week in which Arlington would take on a
whole new meaning for us as we viewed acre upon acre of those shining white markers,
all aligned with military precision.
Our first mission today was to find
the site of the 8th Air Force Memorial, where I would be playing
Taps Saturday morning. We got a bit of a
scare when we asked one of the guides in the information center about its
location and he said he didn’t think they had one of those. I told him I selected it from Arlington’s
list of memorials and monuments, and after a further search he told us it would
be among the memorials lining Section 34.
We finally located Section 34 on the map and began the long trek to find
it and the marker.
As an aside, we should advise any of
our faithful readers who might entertain the idea of someday visiting Arlington
that it is built on a series of hills, and all paths go only one way –
uphill! At least, that’s how it seemed
to us as we negotiated all the lanes and roads that did eventually take us to
the far end of Section 34 before we found the marker.
After making
sure we knew where we needed to be (and how to get there) Saturday morning, we
started making our way back toward the Amphitheater, the site of the main
ceremonies on Saturday.
As we neared
the bottom end of Section 34, we heard the sound of three rifle volleys, and
then some muffled drums. We looked
across Section 34 and saw an Army funeral procession slowly winding down a
hill. The solemnity of the occasion
caused us to stop and stand still as first the Honor Guard and then the family
passed by on their way to another hero’s final resting place.
When the funeral procession had passed, we worked our way
back up the hills toward the Amphitheater and the Tomb of the Unknowns. We noticed a roped off area near a grave
marker across the street from those beautiful edifices and decided to check it
out. The grave was that of Audie Murphy,
an East Texas boy who was the most decorated soldier of World War II, and who
became a movie star in his own right.
Murphy’s story was told, with him as the star, in the blockbuster movie,
“To Hell and Back.” Aunt TJ, as were
many girls her age, was once in love with Audie Murphy during his days of
stardom, so we made sure to get a photo to take back to her.
Our next stop was at the Tomb of the
Unknowns and the Amphitheater; the Amphitheater because we wanted to envision
where the Buglers would stand Saturday morning, and the Tomb of the Unknowns
because it is an absolute “must stop” for any visitor to ANC. We arrived just in time for the wreath-laying
and the sounding of Taps, but the occasion was marred by the behavior of many
of the thousands of students who were at ANC on various school trips. It is our opinion, based on having made many
different school trips and tours during our combined 73 years of teaching, that
NO group should make a trip to Arlington National Cemetery until every student
(and accompanying adult) thoroughly understands that it is as solemn and sacred
as any cathedral ever built, and should be honored and respected as such. The behavior of many of the students at the
Tomb of the Unknowns, and the lack of supervision by the adults, was appalling,
and marred the moment for the rest of us.
We then
walked through and around the Amphitheater to get a good feel for how things
might happen Saturday morning. It is a
beautiful facility and in my mind’s eye I could picture the 200 buglers
standing circled around the columns and walls, but something about the
proximity to the Tomb of the just didn’t seem right. It was then that I checked the instructions
for Saturday morning again and realized that our activities would be at the Old
Amphitheater near the Lee Mansion...up yet another hill. So, it was with tired legs and sore feet that
we trudged up the path to find the Old Amphitheater, wondering if we could
possibly cover all the ground that we would have to cover during our allotted
time Saturday morning.
After we had caught our breath and
checked out the Old Amphitheater, we slowly and painfully began the long walk
back toward the main gates, visitors center, and parking lots. It seemed to take forever, but there were
some beautiful and intriguing sights along the way.
One of the
most interesting and impressive markers we saw was the Confederate Soldiers
Monument, which stands close to the Old Amphitheater and the Lee Mansion. On the Monument are engraved these words, “Beneath
this stone repose the bones of two thousand one hundred and eleven unknown
soldiers from the fields of Bull Run and the Route to the Rappahannock. Their remains could not be identified, but
their names and deaths are referred in the archives of their country, and their
grateful citizens honor them as of their noble army of martyrs. May they rest in peace. September, A.D. 1866.”
We stopped at
the gift store for a few items for grandchildren and then made our way to the
parking lot. Within a few minutes we
were headed away from Arlington National Cemetery in the five o’clock rush,
trying desperately to find the right lanes and not be shuttled away from where
we thought we wanted to go.
After missing
a major turnoff due to the fact that the exit sign was blocked by a tree, we
made our way out U.S. 50 until we could turn around and head back into Rosslyn
and our hotel. It took two or three
phone calls from Barbara to the hotel to figure out where we wanted to go. A big part of the problem (that we found
after the second call) was that we were going by the address that was on the
reservation confirmation. In fact, the
hotel was on a completely different street than the one used as a mailing
address...go figure!
All’s well
that ends well, though, and we got to the hotel with only slightly ruffled
spirits. We were fortunate to find a
parking place very close to the room and were soon unpacked and ready to settle
in for a couple of nights.
We took
advantage of the restaurant on the hotel property for our evening take-out meal
and even worked in some swim time before settling in for a quiet and relaxing
night.
+++++++
Friday,
May 18
We had a
leisurely morning in the hotel room...no big rush to get out and about, since
we wanted the morning rush hours to be over before we braved the Metro system.
Barbara did
all her morning ablutions first and then played around with the camera while I
was getting dressed. The only term I
could come up with to name her shenanigans was “photo phoolery.”
The hotel
didn’t have a complimentary breakfast.
There was a restaurant on property, but we decided we’d skip any formal
breakfast and take our chances on some street food after we left.
Along the way
to the Rosslyn Metro station we found a little breakfast nook. We went inside to see if there was anything we
wanted, settled on a gigantic muffin, and while I was checking out, Barbara was
ready with the camera. The girl who
waited on us immediately picked up on the fact that we were tourists and just
laughed along with us about taking pictures of everything.
It wasn’t very far from the breakfast
shop to the Metro station, but once we entered the station, we might as well
have been on a distant planet. We had no
idea of what we were supposed to do.
Heck, we couldn’t even understand the instructions on the machines. Luckily, there was a Metro employee who came
to our rescue. He asked us what our
travel plans were for the day, quickly calculated the cost of passes for us,
and showed us how to use a credit card to get a discount pass. He then showed us how to insert the passes in
the turnstiles so we could descend to the tunnel level and catch a train.
And speaking
of descending, the Rosslyn station must have the longest and steepest escalator
system in the world! It seemed that we
were on those moving stairs forever. We
eventually reached the bottom, found that either the Blue Line or the Orange
Line trains would take us to the Navy Yard, and waited until a train came along
so we could hop aboard and begin our excursions for the day.
The purpose
of our trip this morning was to locate the Marine Barracks at 8th
and I, the site of tonight’s Commandant’s Evening Parade. We had strict instructions about where to be
at a certain time, and we wanted to be sure of where we were going so we’d know
when to leave the hotel this afternoon.
As luck would have it, the Metro stop
we selected opened up on Barracks Row, the street we needed to find. Our first impression of Barracks Tow was that
it is very much like Cary Street in Richmond – a relatively narrow tree-shaded
street with a wide variety of shops and restaurants, very much a walking
street.
It didn’t
take long until we had scoped out most of the shops and found our way to the
intersection of 8th and I, the home of Marine Barracks, Washington,
DC. The old Marine Barracks houses the
administrative offices for the elite drill teams and honor guards of the
Marines, as well as the rehearsal facilities for the Marine Band (The
President’s Own) and the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps (The Commandant’s
Own). Within the quadrangle formed by
the old barracks and the Commandant’s home is a beautiful drill field where
troops practice 6-8 hours daily and then show off their skills during evening
parades. Marines assigned to Marine
Barracks once lived in the barracks buildings, but are now house in modern
apartment-style dormitories across the street.
As a side
note, when the British burned Washington during the War of 1812, they also
burned the Marine Barracks to the ground, except for the Commandant’s Quarters
(the large white building shown in the photograph). Two schools of thought exist for the saving
of the Commandant’s Quarters. The first
is that the building was saved out of respect for the Marines and their
outstanding service and military capabilities.
The other (and most likely) is that the British commander wanted the
building to become HIS quarters, but that didn’t happen.
We weren’t
able to see inside the barracks area this morning, but we did listen as the
Drum and Bugle Corp rehearsed their musical selections for tonight’s
performance.
After walking
back up Barracks Row, looking at the sights along the way, and taking photos,
we found ourselves back at the Metro station, ready for a ride back toward
downtown DC and Rosslyn.
+++++++
We decided
during the ride that we would get off at the Smithsonian station and walk
around the Mall for awhile, pretending to be your everyday run-of-the mill
tourists.
From where we entered the Mall we
could see the Washington Monument and the Capitol quite clearly. As we moved toward the reflecting pool, we
could see the White House in the distance and the new World War II
Memorial. Our first thought upon seeing
the World War II Memorial (since we didn’t have a clue at the time what it was)
was that neither of us remembered seeing the large towers with “Atlantic” and
“Pacific” inscribed on them at the entrance to the Reflecting Pool. It was only when Barbara checked at an
information station that we realized we were looking at the new memorial.
As we walked
around the beautiful new facility, we noticed that several groups of World War
II veterans were touring the memorial.
Obviously, their minds were flooded with memories of a war long, long
ago and far, far away.
The next stop for me was the Viet Nam
Wall. I tried everything I could think
of to get a good picture of it, but its design and location make a meaningful
photo very difficult. So, I just walked
along the base, looking at the thousands of names of those young men and women
who were killed in that bitterly divisive Southeast Asian war during the 60’s
and 70’s. I can never walk along that
path without feeling a weight and somberness unlike the feelings engendered by
any other monuments and memorials.
We left the
Mall and hiked up 23rd Street toward the George Washington
University Metro station and our ride back to Rosslyn. The walk was much farther than we thought it
would be, and also much steeper than one would think, but we finally got where
we needed to be, caught the train that we needed, and made it back to Rosslyn
and, after a short (but painful and tiring) walk, to our hotel for a few hours
of rest and relaxation.
+++++++
After a bit
of rest, we took off around 4:30 to find our way back to Barracks Row for
dinner and the Evening Parade. Being
“Old Pros” at the Metro, we experienced no problems finding our way to the
Rosslyn station and catching the train back to the Navy Yard.
We walked up and Down Barracks Row
looking for a restaurant that appealed to us.
It must have been pretty obvious what we were doing, because as soon as
we slowed down to look at the culinary offerings of Las Placitas, a gentleman
who was dining outside told us the food there was wonderful and that we needed
to try it. After visiting with him a
bit, we decided this was the place for us, so we took an outside table and
enjoyed a wonderful Salvadoran meal as we enjoyed the beautiful and friendly
outdoor setting. We had no idea of a couple
of things we were eating, but a couple of young ladies were sitting at the
table next to us and one of them, a regular customer, helped us out.
When we
finished at Las Placitas, we walked around a bit to shake down the food we had
eaten, and then found the 32 Below Yogurt store. We needed a cup of yogurt like we needed
another hole in our heads, but we went inside and gave it a try. Whether we needed it or not, it was very
tasty and a nice ending to the meal we had just enjoyed.
We began noticing more and more Bugles
Across America members and their families and soon we were all migrating down
Barracks Row to our designated meeting place.
At that point, it began to feel more and more like a military gathering
that was heavy on “hurry up and wait.”
We had been firmly instructed to be at the meeting place no later than
6:30 so we could enter the parade grounds at 7:00 to claim our reserved
seats. Well, at 7:15 there was no sign
of moving from our gathering spot, so we all stood around introducing ourselves
and discussing whatever came to mind.
Shortly after
7:30 the first group of us formed up (more or less) and walked across the
street and through the main gate of Marine Barracks. There we went through a thorough security
check before we were allowed to find our seats.
We had been told that the gates would
open for all non-ticket holders at 8:00, and the ceremonies would begin at
8:15. By 8:30 there were no signs of any
activities except for a few Marines who came out to visit with the crowd. It was obvious that they were winging it, but
a couple of them (including the Drum and Bugle Corp Drum Major) were
entertaining.
While the
informal chit-chat was going on, Barbara took time out to go to the
restroom. She found out when she was
there that the delay in the start of the parade was because the Secretary of
Defense, Leon Panetta, had chosen tonight to have a formal dinner with the
Marine Corp Commandant, and the dinner was going well into overtime. Never mind that there were over a thousand
visitors in place to view the ceremonies and all the drill teams, honor guards,
drum and bugle corps and band members were in place waiting.
At 9:00 the
announcer came on and said the show would be starting soon, and at 9:15, an
hour after the scheduled start of the parade, the Commandant, his wife, Mr.
Panetta, his wife, and their dog made their grand appearance and walked across
the parade grounds to their seats.
Finally, we could get this show on the road!
Without going
into a further spiel with my opinion about secretaries of defense, we’ll just say
that the discomfort of spectators and participants at the delay in the starting
of the show was soon (almost) forgotten by the splendor and pageantry provided
by the Marines who put on a splendid demonstration of close order drill, manual
of arms, and music and marching of the highest caliber. We were treated to a demonstration by the
Silent Drill Team, in which a lengthy program of military marching and rifle
skills was conducted without a single verbal command. Ya gotta see it to believe it, folks!
The parade
finally ended around 10:30 when a single bugler was spotlighted on the ramparts
of the main building and sounded Taps. I
don’t think there was a dry eye in the place as the 24th note was
sounded. Certainly, there was no
movement or talking, just an unbelievable silence as we reflected on all that
we had seen and heard during the last two hours.
It was getting late and the BAA
members who would be participating in the Taps 150 ceremonies at Arlington
National Cemetery had a long way to go tonight and an early call for the
morning, so we began making our way back toward the Metro station.
Unfortunately
for the crowds, the number of trains operating had been reduced for the night,
so every seat was full and there was standing room only in all the cars. But, we still managed to get our seats and
hold them until we approached the Rosslyn station, where we left the Metro
system and walked the several blocks back to the hotel, arriving around 11:45.
+++++++
Saturday, May 19
We were up and at ‘em early this
morning. The alarm was set for 5:00 so
we’d have plenty of time to do all that was necessary...morning ablutions, pack
everything we brought into the room Thursday afternoon, get dressed, load the
car, check out, grab something for a quick breakfast, etc...all by 7:30 so we
could negotiate the morning traffic and get to Arlington National Cemetery
before the gates opened at 8:00.
Everything
went well for us (except for a brand new bottle of perfume falling out of a
partially opened bag that I was carrying
to the car...Barbara was understandably unhappy about that, but the
parking lot sure did stink purty) and we managed to get away from the hotel
very close to our target time. (Barbara:
In fact, I blame the secretary of defense for the loss of my perfume! If we had
gotten home earlier last night, I would have packed better. Considered sending
him a bill for a replacement perfume, but Jim convinced me that if he didn’t
care about over 1000 people waiting on him last night; then he certainly
wouldn’t care about my perfume!)
The
anticipated traffic was almost non-existent, but we still managed to miss a
turn that would have taken us directly down U.S. 50 to the entry to ANC. Instead, we crossed the Key Bridge over the
Potomac River and headed into DC, but I was savvy enough from our walking
expedition through the Mall yesterday to hang a right on 23rd,
circle behind the Lincoln Memorial, and catch the Memorial Bridge to drive
directly into ANC.
We learned
from our visit on Thursday that parking would be very expensive today, but
weighed the cost and inconvenience of trying to get around by taxi or carry all
our stuff on the Metro and decided we’d just pony up whatever the parking fee
might end up being...it might cost a little more, but at least we’d know where
we were and [for the most part] what we were doing.
As we drove
toward the parking garage one of the guards stopped us and asked if we were
with the buglers. When we said we were,
we were told to turn around, drive toward the main gate, and take the service
road up to the parking lot at the Lee Mansion and Old Amphitheater. Hallelujah...two wonderful blessings at once
– we wouldn’t have any parking fees for the day and, even more important than
that, we wouldn’t have to make the long walk uphill to the Old
Amphitheater! God was really looking out
for us!!!
AT this point
in our reflections, we’ll break into a “He said/She said” format. Because we were each doing something very
different from the other today, we want to present our individual points of
view on the day’s activities and adventures.
Jim: 200 buglers/trumpet players had been
preparing for this day since January. We
all knew it was going to be a special event in our lives, no matter what
happened. With the exception of the very
few BAA buglers who had at one time or another been assigned to one of the
major service bands and served as buglers at Arlington National Cemetery, we
never had the opportunity to sound Taps on these hallowed grounds. That is, until Jari Villanueva, former USAF Band
member, who sounded Taps over 5,000 times at ANC during his 23-year career,
organized and directed this Taps 150 Commemoration event.
When I logged
on to the Taps 150 web page this morning, the first thing I saw was this photo
that Jari took at sunrise this morning, a photo that very few could ever
capture, since ANC doesn’t open until 8:00 am.
At sunrise, the only people in ANC are a handful of maintenance workers
and the Honor Guard at the Tomb of the unknowns. This particular photo served as a powerful
portent of the beautiful and deeply meaningful experience that we who gathered
from around the nation would share today.
Even though we arrived fairly early at
the Old Amphitheater, there were already quite a few participants in the
area. The first thing we did was
register and sign the liability disclaimers.
As I was standing in line with other participants, some in Civil War
re-enactment uniforms, others in military dress uniforms, scout uniforms, BAA
uniforms and other formal attire, I made the age-old crack that the last time I
stood in a line that long they gave me a set of uniforms and a four-year
contract.
After registration, it was time to
mill around, meet some of the other participants, and have photos made. There was no shortage of opportunities to
visit with others, scout out the freshly decorated amphitheater, and enjoy the
beautiful morning. The experience was
almost like a tour group preparing to attend a formal service at a great
cathedral, and the air of anticipation was thick and rich.
Around 9:00,
we began taking our places around the amphitheater. Because one of the soundings would be in
four-part harmony (Silver Taps), we were grouped by the parts we had chosen to
play, with the Taps melody players at stage right, and the 2nd, 3rd,
and 4th parts spread around to stage left.
Jari
introduced Colonel Larry Lang, the new USAF Band Commander and Conductor who
would direct the 200 assembled buglers in unison Taps and then in Silver
Taps. Even though the group contained
some of the finest trumpeters and buglers in the country, it was obvious that
the terms of instruction were not clearly understood by all, resulting in a
pretty rocky first run-through. Once
everyone understood what they were doing, the group immediately sounded better. After a couple of run-throughs with both
unison and harmonized Taps, we all felt comfortable with what we were doing.
With rehearsal over, there was plenty
of time before the beginning of the program to continue visiting with each
other. We were very fortunate to have
among our entourage Norm and Carrie (Bates) Foote (Carrie was a classmate of
ours in high school), and a former student from Liberal, Drew Johnson and a
couple of his friends from Radford University in Virginia. I was principal when Drew came to the high
school, so I never got to teach him in band, but Barbara had him in classes at
West Middle School. What a great thrill
it was to have friends and a former student there to support us!
At 9:45 the
Maryland Defense Force Band began a prelude concert, and at 10:00, with all the
buglers standing in their assigned positions, the program began with an
invocation by Chaplain (Colonel) Edward Brogan, USAF (Ret,), remarks by Kathryn
Condon, Executive Director, Arlington National Cemetery, and remarks by Thomas
Day, Bugles Across America Founder, and Jari Villanueva, Coordinator of Taps
150 events. The program then concluded
with Colonel Lang conducting the unison Taps and then the harmonized Taps.
After a
session of group photos, the buglers began moving throughout the cemetery to
find their designated stations for playing individual Taps immediately
following the Noon Chimes.
Norm and
Carrie and Drew and his friends went ahead of us because I had to go back to
the car to get my white gloves. Barbara
and I then made the long trek to Section 34 and the site of the 8th
Air Force Memorial.
We got to the
memorial with plenty of time to spare (all that worrying on Thursday was for
naught) and had time for me to do some warm-ups and for Drew to make sure my
uniform was squared away.
The reason
for the 8th Air Force Memorial as my choice was somewhat convoluted,
but it worked for me. My dad was in a
unit of the 3rd Air Force, stationed at Hunter Field, Georgia,
during World War II. That also happened
to be the birthplace of the 8th Air Force which, immediately after
its founding, was transferred to Europe for the duration of the war. Since there is no 3rd AF memorial,
I chose the 8th AF Memorial to honor my dad and the thousands of
airmen who served during World War II.
As a side note, the 8th Air Force is now headquartered at
Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, just a couple of hours away from Mineola. Honor guards from Barksdale often serve at
the area funeral services in which our East Texas Patriot Guard Riders
participate.
As the time approached for me to sound
Taps in memory of the 150,000 airmen of the 8th Air Force who served
and the 17,742 combat crew members killed or missing, I took my place, and with
a weight of responsibility on my shoulders, began sounding the solemn 24 notes
that are our National Song of Remembrance.
I wish I
could say that it was a perfect rendition of Taps, but there is no perfection
in music. I cracked the 21st
note, but I can honestly say that it was perhaps the most heartfelt sounding
out of the countless times I have sounded Taps over the years. I hope Daddy was proud and happy with the
investment he and Mother made when they bought that instrument for me in 1959.
With the
individual soundings completed, our little (no pun intended) entourage headed
away from Section 34. Barbara and I had
to return to the parking lot at the Old Amphitheater, so we said goodbye to
Drew and his friends at one of the intersections and they went out the main
gate.
It was a long
walk back to the car, but we did have a few moments that broke it up into
manageable segments. When we did get to
the car, we were totally exhausted and nearly dehydrated. We guzzled down water and Coke, started the
car, fired up the air conditioner, and headed out of Arlington National
Cemetery, a place that we will never see again in the same light. I think we can both safely say that we have
been profoundly changed by the events of this day and our participation in the
commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the composition and first
sounding of Taps.
With ANC
behind us, we headed across DC and into Maryland in search of our lodging for
the next two nights and in anticipation of a fun and educational visit to the
Baltimore area.
Barbara: Keeping in mind that this day was
really all about Jim, I just felt blessed to tag along on his coattails and try
to document with photos everything he wanted. However, this assignment did not
prevent me from having my own personal experiences that enriched this day.
First, I had met Janet and Belinda the night before so it seemed as though it
was old home week this AM as I took photos of them and their families to be sent
to them later. I, also, in my wandering as Jim registered, found myself near a
93 year old vet who was sitting in His daughter’s wheelchair. He quickly let me
know he really didn’t need one but was just resting for a minute before he had
to play his trumpet! He was a hoot!
I don’t know really who was more
nervous today…Jim or me! I was loaded to the hilt with extra batteries, a hat
to keep the sun out of my eyes, etc. Never in the world did I consider that my
camera and I needed something else! Who would have “thunk” it? Obviously, not
me!
Let me
explain, once the action got started, I had precious little time to decide what
to shoot or what to video. Anyway, the program was almost over and I was pretty
pleased with everything. Jari was giving his final speech and I was recording
when my camera flashed that the memory stick was full! What????? They are
getting ready to play Taps. That I must have! With shaking fingers, I started
deleting every video I had…how much room did I need? Oh, no! The Conductor and
Commander was approaching the dais…I had run out of time! Talk about rattled! I
am heartsick over the video I produced of Jim’s most special time since I
totally lost my focus and stayed too long on him and didn’t allow enough time
to get the other buglers. So…here you have this beautiful, tear jerking
rendition of Taps and a jerky rushed video. My greatest disappointment! Sigh.
Once down at the site where Jim was to
play solo, we actually had time to relax and visit with the boys. Somehow, we
had lost Carrie and Norm; but we could feel them with us anyway. Just as noon
approached so approached this harried young woman who couldn’t find her husband
and elderly mother. They had been right across from us; but none of us had
noticed when or where they had gone. She was in despair. There was no use
playing if her family wasn’t here! I quickly reminded her that this was a once
in a lifetime opportunity. She had to play with or without them! She slowly,
tearfully headed down the hill as the chimes struck 12. I had no more time to
watch her. I had to get Jim’s playing correct!
After Jim
finished, we heard a loud, out the gut, sound of Taps close by. I turned and
saw that it was the “lost family” girl just down the hill. Without even
thinking, Mario started running towards her as I flashed 3 quick photos. Then
the rest of us headed down to her and Mario. By the time we got there, Mario
had her email address and we now knew her name, Julie. I think she was stunned
to find that I had taken photos of her and between the hugs and the tears we
both were extremely spent, emotional, and grateful for this time we shared!
As a side
note, I have heard from Julie and she did find her family and she did play Taps
in her assigned place with her loving family in attendance. Once again, all’s
well that ends well!
After parting from Drew and the boys,
Jim and I leisurely began the agonizing trip back uphill to the car. Just as we
neared the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier a voice stopped us with, “Hey, could you
guys do me a favor.” It was obvious that we were supposed to know him; but I
had no clue so bluntly asked if we knew him. It was David, an airline pilot,
who Jim had sat beside and visited with the night before. Anyway, David needed
help locating a certain gravesite and needed a picture taken so while I stayed
and guarded David’s rolling bag, coat and Jim’s trumpet, Jim went off with him.
As the guys were coming back, a lady
with a large family came up and asked me, “Are you getting ready to play that
thing?” I burst out laughing and assured her I was only the trumpet holder, not
the player!
As Jim got
back to us, the family was asking about what was going on with all the buglers
today, so Jim, slipping back into his “teacher” mode, explained that it was the
150th anniversary of the composition and first sounding of Taps
following the Seven Day Battles during the Civil War. He told them that because Confederate
soldiers were so close to the Union camps that they also started using Taps
instead of “Lights Out,” and how eventually Taps became a standard bugle call
at military funerals.
The family,
from California, seemed to be grateful for the unexpected lesson during their
tour of Arlington National Cemetery and now have even more memories to take
home with them.
We became a
part of history today, and left Arlington National Cemetery with our lives
changed in some way, and certainly with a new respect for those who have
dedicated their lives to remembering and honoring our fallen heroes.
“Day is done,
Gone the sun,
From the lakes,
From the hills,
From the sky.
All is well,
Safely rest,
God is nigh.
Fading light,
Dims the night,
And a star,
Gems the sky,
Gleaming bright,
From afar,
Drawing nigh,
Falls the night.”
...Attributed to General Daniel Butterfield
On the road again,
Jim/Dad/Gramps
and Barbara/Mom/Grams
