He Played Taps Every Night For 100 Days To Draw Attention To Vets
Bow, NH ( KROC AM News) -
That’s when 77-year-old Peter Clarke began playing his trumpet at the end of his driveway in the town of Bow every evening.
His one and only tune was “Taps.”
Clarke did this every evening through Labor Day. He said he did it as a way to draw attention to veterans to show “they make a difference” and to honor his wife, who died three years ago. Clarke is an Air Force veteran.
During his final performance Monday evening, a crowd of neighbors and others showed up to applaud and thank him for the 100-day journey.
Are you familiar with “Taps,” the simple 24-note melody normally played by a bugler at memorial events and services? There are different stories about the origin of the haunting song, including an apparent myth about a father and son who were on opposite sides in the Civil War.
Congress formally recognized “Taps” as the “National Song of Remembrance” in 2012.
Read the history of the song here.