Throughout the Army's history the sound of the bugle has called soldiers to battle, to pay call,
to meals and, in the end, to a well deserved rest when the wars are over.
Story by Renita Foster
Like the voice of the faithful town crier from days of old, military bugle calls awaken sleepy soldiers,
announce meal time, proclaim the duty day's end and, as only the Army could, orchestrate a gentle reminder of lights out with a nostalgic lullaby.
Old-timers are often eager to share stories centered around the Army's bugle calls. There's the tale of
the meticulous soldier who religiously set his watch, and the rest of the clocks in his house, to First Call at 0730 hours or of the dedicated Army wife who equated Assembly with children's nap time at 1300
hours. Then there's the complaint that calls weren't loud enough for those hard-core personnel strictly regulating their day in accordance with the sacred tunes.
Many soldiers and veterans today find themselves deeply affected by these eloquent musical tones. Lona Rogers, a United States Military Academy Preparatory School cadet candidate at Fort
Monmouth, N.J., is up long before Reveille but says the shrill morning call to duty definitely boosts her
motivation. "It's your sign to wake up," Rogers said. "You have a job to do, so let's go do it."
Members of Fort Monmouth's Retiree Group, who went through basic training there more than 50 years ago, clearly remember Reveille as a dreaded "screeching noise," and swear the only thing
worse was being thrown out of bed by a drill sergeant if you hadn't responded to that first wake-up call.
Pay Call and Mail Call also caused quite a scramble back then, according to group member Joe Rankin, a World War II veteran. And, he said, no other organization in the world quite knows how to
end a duty day like the U.S. Army -- with the sharp, dignified tones of Retreat complemented by soldiers paying their respects.
Ed Devlin*, Fort Monmouth's director of training, plans, and mobilization, believes the custom of
halting a military installation's operations to honor the Retreat Ceremony means more than just recognizing that work is over for the day.
"It's parallel to stopping and smelling the roses as you go through life," Devlin said. "Bugle calls keep
us in touch with things that were important in the past and that are important now."
Although it's been more than 50 years since Robert Peterson began his 19th bombing mission over
Germany, he agrees with Devlin's sentiment. That mission became his last when he was shot down and spent the next 18 months in a prisoner-of-war camp. "It wasn't until I saw a Retreat Ceremony that I
knew I was home," Peterson said.
SFC Alan Templeton, also of DTPM, was assigned to the Berlin Brigade over a decade ago. He says
the Retreat Ceremony there during the Cold War was an extraordinary experience in his career. "We were located quite close to the East German guard towers and I remember seeing them look down
while the bugle was playing, and I couldn't help feeling they were truly envious."
For the retiree group and the cadet candidates at Fort Monmouth, Taps seems to bring on the widest
range of emotions.
"Taps really has 'Army' written all over it," said cadet Dan Russo. "I believe, of all the bugle calls, that's
the one that makes you think and remember."
For Jeremy James, a West Point cadet, hearing Taps for the first time was exhilarating. "My heart was
beating happily when I heard the song that night because I knew I'd succeeded in what I set out to do. That day, I'd done more push-ups than I'd ever done in my life and I realized I was on the way to my
future."
But coming out of the Depression and suddenly being thrust into a world war at the age of 16 brought an entirely different emotion to Tom Helmick, a Navy veteran.
"At the end of that first day at basic, I was lying in my bunk, and Taps began playing," he explained.
"That was the first time I'd ever been away from home, and hearing those lonely, solemn tones brought a lump to the back of my throat that I can feel today."
Taps, the melody that has touched countless service men and women, was created by Gen. Daniel Butterfield of the federal Army of the Potomac in 1862. With no musical ability, Butterfield enlisted the
talent of the brigade bugler, Oliver W. Norton, to signal the end of the day. Taps debuted that July at Harrison's Landing, Va.
Taps was chosen for a military funeral, instead of the customary three volleys, because of the proximity of the enemy. The new custom quickly spread and eventually was confirmed by orders.
Army bugler Sgt. Mark Barrett, who has played Taps at several military funerals, says it's the hardest part of his job and carries the greatest responsibility.
"It's that final goodbye to a friend, the final hurrah, and you want it to be absolutely perfect," Barrett said.
It was during a tour at West Point that Army Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Terry Dempsey learned the words to Taps and began reading them with the benediction at the end of military funerals:
"Day is done. Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hill, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh.
"Thanks and praise, For our days 'Neath the sun, 'Neath the stars, 'Neath the sky. As we go, This we know: God is nigh."
"I felt it was appropriate, since it not only closes the soldier's day, but is the final goodbye, closing this
phase of his life. I can't think of any words more fitting for a soldier's last farewell," Dempsey said.
Helmick not only appreciated the meaning of the bugle calls, but also appreciated buglers such as Barrett.
"Back then those calls weren't just sounds, they weren't just music, they meant something. And they didn't come out of a tape recorder. They were played professionally and proudly by a living, breathing
soldier," said Helmick.
Talented buglers have indeed been replaced by machines at most Army posts. At Fort Monmouth the
bugle calls are played on a digital recorder. Seven times a day, Sunday through Saturday and holidays, Reveille rings out at 0600 hours followed by Recall, Mess Call, Assembly, Retreat and
Tattoo, with Taps at 2200 hours.
Regardless of how the bugle calls are played and whether you prefer Reveille or Retreat, it's
comforting to know the calls are still treated with the honor, respect and attention each deserves.
*Ed Devlin was a member of the (2nd New Jersey) Civil War reenacting brigade at the time this story was originally published.
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