ANNVILLE TOWNSHIP, LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. -- The sounds of Taps carried through the air in Lebanon County on Saturday in honor of Armed Forces Day.
35-buglers from the Bugles Across America Organization played their annual tribute of Echo Taps throughout the Fort Indiantown Gap National Cemetery. A trumpet choir followed with their performance at the Pennsylvania Veterans' Memorial. Douglas Wilburne, a bugler and Assistant Director for the organization's PA chapter, says he has great respect for the men and women who served, and that this is his way to give back to them.
New this year, families of the service members are able to sign a book that dedicates the 'Echo Taps' ceremony in their hero's honor. The book will now be displayed and brought out each year for new dedications. The Buglers Across America Organization started with just two buglers back in 2006 and has grown ever since. Their main goal is offering a free bugler for every military funeral.