{"id":790,"date":"2023-11-11T02:04:43","date_gmt":"2023-11-11T02:04:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/?p=790"},"modified":"2023-11-11T02:04:43","modified_gmt":"2023-11-11T02:04:43","slug":"army-bugler-sounds-taps-for-almost-two-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/?p=790","title":{"rendered":"Army Bugler Sounds Taps for Almost Two Decades"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ARLINGTON, Va. \u2014 During wreath laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery\u2019s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Master Sgt. Matthew Byrne marches out to the Tomb, brings his bugle to his lips and slowly sounds out the 24 notes of the bugle call, \u201ctaps.\u201d When finished, he tucks the bugle under his arm, salutes and marches away.<\/p>\n

As one of the Army Band\u2019s trumpeters, Byrne plays the bugle at events around the cemetery and Military District of Washington events in the nation\u2019s capital and throughout the country. He has sounded taps at funeral services for dignitaries such as Gen. Colin Powell and Sen. Bob Dole, as well as ceremonial wreath layings by various world leaders.<\/p>\n

Byrne, from Long Island, New York, began playing the trumpet in elementary school after hearing the theme to the movie \u201cRocky,\u201d called \u201cGonna Fly Now.\u201d After graduating from Ithaca College, he spent six years teaching music at elementary and middle schools in New York and Connecticut before returning to the University of Louisville to pursue a master\u2019s degree in trumpeter performance.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In 2004, at the age of 29, Byrne learned of an opening for a ceremonial trumpeter in the Army Band, known as \u201cPershing\u2019s Own.\u201d He auditioned for the job and got it. After completing basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, he joined the band at Fort Myer, Virginia.<\/p>\n

Even though Byrne has sounded, \u201ctaps,\u201d thousands of times, he still strives to meet the Army Band\u2019s high standards. \u201cThere are times that a note got chipped or \u201ctaps\u201d was not up to my standards,\u201d he said. \u201cIn Pershing\u2019s Own, it\u2019s done right.\u201d Having sounded \u201ctaps\u201d at funerals around the country, he knows that ANC is different. \u201cFew places match the level of professionalism at Arlington,\u201d he explained. \u201cThe amount of dedication to detail here is something special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Byrne has played \u201ctaps\u201d in temperatures as low as 8 degrees and as high as 104 degrees, in all kinds of weather. The hottest was a change of command ceremony at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, where he had to stand on an unshaded field. \u201cIt was like standing in a convection oven that was blowing hot air through my wool uniform and high collar,\u201d he said. The pain was most intense on his feet. \u201cThose black shoes make it feel like your feet are cooking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Byrne tries to ignore the people around him while he plays, but he has noticed people\u2019s reactions when he\u2019s finished. \u201cI\u2019ve caught tough-looking biker dudes breaking down at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a moving experience for a lot of people, especially if it\u2019s their first time at the cemetery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Byrne tries not to let cameras or crowds distract him. Instead, he focuses the on the person being honored. Some of the hardest funeral services, he explains, are the ones with low attendance. \u201cThat struck me,\u201d he said recalling a funeral attended by only a chaplain and an Arlington Lady. \u201cIt was difficult sounding \u2018taps\u2019 because it was too personal.\u201d<\/p>\n

The absolute hardest funeral services for Byrne, of course, are those for his fellow soldiers. \u201cThose hit closer to home,\u201d he explained, because of the emotional connections he experiences while sounding \u201ctaps.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s odd to sit next to a person at work one day and they\u2019re not there the next.\u201d<\/p>\n

In early 2021, the Army Band made Byrne its official Special Bugler. His first assignment was President Joseph Biden\u2019s inaugural wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In attendance were the Bush, Obama and Clinton families. For Byrne, it was a true trial by fire. \u201cThere were a whole handful of people that I didn\u2019t look at,\u201d he remembered. When it was over, he received hundreds of texts and emails from worldwide admirers. \u201cI received nice comments from the \u2018who\u2019s who\u2019 of the trumpet world,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was mind-numbing how many people viewed my performance.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Byrne also enjoyed sounding \u201ctaps\u201d when South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol joined Biden in laying a wreath at the Korean War Veterans Memorial on April 25, 2023. The event was private, with no media or audience. Only the presidents and their spouses attended. \u201cOpportunities like that are special and unique,\u201d he said. \u201cI have a front seat to history as it happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Byrne loves what he does. \u201cI can\u2019t think of any other career that could be so emotionally and professionally satisfying,\u201d he said. He enjoys his job so much that his car\u2019s license plates read \u201c24 Notes.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s such a big part of what I do,\u201d he explained. \u201cThose who know, know.\u201d<\/p>\n

By Kevin M. Hymel, ANC Historian<\/em><\/p>\n

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ARLINGTON, Va. \u2014 During wreath laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery\u2019s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Master Sgt. Matthew Byrne marches out to the Tomb, brings his bugle to his lips and slowly sounds out the 24 notes of the bugle call, \u201ctaps.\u201d When finished, he tucks the bugle under his arm, salutes and marches […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":791,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-790","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-army"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=790"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/790\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":792,"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/790\/revisions\/792"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daily-bullet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}