Valley buglers honored for service

WASILLA — Taps is just 24 notes long.

It has been played on almost every continent since its inauguration during the Civil War. It must be played by a lone sentry with a bugle, in rain, shine, or, more likely in Alaska, snow.

In 2000, U.S. legislators decided every veteran was entitled to military honors for a funeral, and among the provisions was that a sounding of taps — whether live or via CD — as one part of the honors. Buglers — whose plaintive cry was declining when the law was passed — have struggled to keep up ever since.

Legislators and family members honored nine members of the Alaska chapter of the group Bugles Across America Monday for their prolific performance of the iconic song signaling “lights out” at numerous military funerals throughout the state. Many honorees attributed their participation to the efforts of enthusiastic bugler Gene Horner, who just happened to have several horns in his car to distribute for an impromptu round performance. The organization serves as a network for musicians and funeral organizers throughout the United States.

“The first time I played taps at a funeral was because of Gene Horner,” said honoree Charles Carté. “He’s a bulldog and really gets on you.”

While the song itself is only eight bars long, it can pack an emotional wallop not only for the audience, but for the buglers themselves.

Honoree Jeff Stout recalled a funeral in Haines where a man known by the nickname “Slippery” approached him after a performance.

“He said ‘I never want to hear you play that again,’” Stout recalled. “‘I’ve heard it played too many times.’ Whenever I think of that, it reminds me of the gravity of what we’re doing.”

Others find themselves in awkward situations because of gratitude, like Carté.

“I feel guilty for them thanking me for it,” he said. “It’s a privilege and an honor.”

State Sen. Charlie Huggins handed each of the buglers a citation for their service that describes a brief history of the song’s origins.

“Your bugle call is the lasting honor performed in recognition of a service member who is being laid to rest: it signals the end of the day and permission to stand down,” the citation reads in part. “The bugler, in playing taps, announces their mission complete.”

“These gentlemen and ladies have been part of a huge calling,” Huggins said.

The bugler can sometimes be the last point of contact between the branch of service and the family of the veteran, said Naval Reservist John Mathew, who was among those honored.

Mathew was among those called into active duty shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and related a story about playing taps on a military base shortly after being deployed. He played the distinctive end-of-day tune for the retirement of the colors, and the base began to instantly transform.

“Heads started to pop out of windows,” he said. “One person came up to me and said ‘This is the first time I’ve really felt like I was on a naval base.’”

The buglers’ position can contain an overwhelming responsibility.

“I know that I’m the Navy,” he said. “I represent the last chance for the family to have a good taste in its mouth.”

Families of veterans often suffer the most from military service, whether through sudden deployments or frequent relocations, and they are often the ones standing at a graveside for the final goodbye, and the final rendition of the timeless military tune is for them, Mathew said.

“It really needs to be on a good note,” he said.