Jamestowners veterans underway strive to honor vets at funerals
By Dotti Farrington

Several Jamestowners, plus offisland members of the Jamestown Community Band, are taking lead roles in a relatively new project to honor American veterans who have died.

They recently joined in the first Echo Taps Worldwide, evolved from a continental effort to provide buglers for veterans' funerals. The activity was part of Armed Forces Day on May 19.

Michael Jackson of Narragansett, a member of the community band here, led the Rhode Island observance, which attracted about 40 brass players, 30 volunteers, a contingent of the Naval Sea Cadets, representatives of Patriotic Guard Riders and an uncounted number of observers.

Jackson, only a few days ago, was invited to be permanent fulltime bugler for the Veterans Affairs (VA) Cemetery in Exeter, where Rhode Island's Echo Taps was performed. He joined the original Echo Taps project three years ago.

Fred Pease, on baritone trombone, was among local residents who took part Saturday, May 19. He joined with Jackson for the first mass "Taps" in New York State where more than 600 brass instrument players gathered in 2005 to play a cascading rendition of "Taps" over 42 miles.

Other participating Jamestowners last weekend were Leslie Kurtz, flag bearer and logistics coordination volunteer; Ed Kurtz and Kath O'Neil, on trumpets; and Martin Hellewell, on the euphonium. O'Neil also directed a unison rendition of "Taps" as part of the ceremonies; and Dee Hellewell served as a logistics volunteer.

Community Band members

funerals

who participated included Patrick Hentschell of Wakefield, as lead bugler; and Loren Palmer of Newport, on flugelhorn. Band members taking part as trumpeters were Navy Lt. Andrew Airasian of Middletown, Rick Alves of Cumberland, and Barbara Renner of Portsmouth, Pease's sister.

About Echo Taps

The island and local band members were among approximately 5,000 musicians, ages 10 to 101, performing at veterans' cemeteries here and overseas. The original effort was organized about six years ago by Bugles Across America to provide buglers at veteran funerals. That plan called for a bugler at each of the 125 VA cemeteries in America. It went global this year with participants at 190 sites where American service personnel are buried.

Each musician begins the 24- note "Taps" three notes after the one before. This year's Echo was started overseas and timed to begin in eastern America at 11 a.m., crossing the country and ending in Hawaii.

According to the VA, 688,000 veterans, most with World War II service, died last year but there have not been enough buglers to provide the funeral "Taps" for many. The Armed Forces Day project of Bugles Across America has provided at least one live rendition for the veterans, and is attracting musicians to register to perform at funerals.

The goals of Echo Taps are summarized as: to honor and remember the sacrifices and contributions of American military; foster a new generation of buglers; preserve the tradition of a live bugler to play 'Taps' for final military honors, and raise awareness of national cemeteries, battle monuments and VA benefits.