[TPIN] Re: TAPS and Star Spangled Banner Fee

[Glenn Bengry]

Playing Taps for a deceased veteran IS an honor.  To play taps for ANY 
deceased human being is an honor.  To receive money doesn't make it any less 
honorable.

glenn


>From: "Robert DeSavage" <beaglebob6192 at comcast.net>
>To: <tpin at tpin.okcu.edu>
>Subject: [TPIN] Re:  TAPS and Star Spangled Banner Fee
>Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2006 07:57:38 -0400
>
>Since I was a teenager, I was brought up by my parents and my mentors to
>understand that playing Taps for a deceased veteran is an honor, and not
>something that puts money in my pocket. At the time, I did lots of these
>events thru my town's VFW post and any compensation offered was discouraged
>by me. Better they donate it to a charitable organization of their choice.
>To this day, I stand by that.
>
>As to playing Taps at military funerals, you never know what oddities can
>transpire. When I joined the Navy and went to Boot Camp at GLAKES, I was in
>the RTC Band. For sure, being in a special units company which with along
>the band, included dudes that were in the drum and bugle corps unit, a
>choral group, yada yada, was a pretty good deal. One of the guys in the RTC
>was a clarinetist. While not destined to be assigned to the School of Music
>like many in the band, he was a terrific Dixieland type clarinetist. Often,
>after band practice, we'd get together and jam a bit. Finally, upon
>graduation from Boot, we went our own separate ways. The last thing he said
>to me was that I was the best trumpet player he ever heard, expecting me to
>be one that went places as the years progressed. I was flattered about 
>that.
>He being from a town in RI and me from MA, we promised each other that we
>would meet again - sometime, somewhere, somehow. Close to the end of my
>enlistment, when I was stationed with the Newport Naval Base Band (under 
>the
>direction of MUC John May), I drew the duty of playing Taps for a military
>funeral in a nearby RI town. To make a long story short, the funeral was 
>for
>this same guy. As it turned out, the cause of his death was from a gunshot
>delivered by his wife who thought that he was an intruder when he returned
>home early and unannounced.. Needless to say, I freaked out. Never did I
>play Taps as bad. I can only hope that he understood how I felt and 
>forgives
>me. This wasn't the way I hoped that we would meet. Even though my version
>of Taps that day was terrible, it was heartfelt and sincere.
>
>BOB
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>TPIN mailing list
>TPIN at tpin.okcu.edu
>http://tpin.okcu.edu/mailman/listinfo/tpin

_________________________________________________________________
Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today - it's FREE! 
http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/