The obituaries listed on the Taps sub-menu to the left were provided by family and friends of veterans of the 761st Tank Battalion. If you would like to provide new or additional material, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to send an e-mail message. Thank you.
Taps
A discussion of the history of Taps by Jari A. Villanueva, a bugler and bugle historian, formerly the curator of the Taps Bugle Exhibit for Arlington National Cemetery from 1999-2002, and considered a foremost authority on the bugle call of Taps, can be seen at his website.
Master
Sergeant Villanueva describes the Taps melody as "both
eloquent and haunting and the history of its origin is
interesting and somewhat clouded in controversy. In the
British Army, a similar call known as Last Post has been
sounded over soldiers' graves since 1885, but the use of
Taps is unique with the United States military, since the
call is sounded at funerals, wreath-laying and memorial
services. . . . The earliest official reference to the
mandatory use of Taps at military funeral ceremonies is
found in the U.S. Army Infantry Drill Regulations for 1891,
although it had doubtless been used unofficially long before
that time, under its former designation Extinguish
Lights."
To play Taps now, if your web browser can play music, click one of the following links:
Taps
1 (low bandwidth, 2 kb .mid file)
Taps
2 (medium bandwidth, 300 kb .wav file)
Taps
3 (with 21 gun salute, 530kb .mp3 file)
Taps
4 (2 trumpets, 954 kb .mp3 file)
Taps
5 (high bandwidth, 1,579 kb .mp3 file)
There
are no official words to the music, but these are some of
the more popular verses of Taps:
Day
is done, gone the sun,
From
the hills, from the lake,
From
the sky.
All
is well, safely rest,
God
is nigh.
Go
to sleep, peaceful sleep,
May
the soldier or sailor,
God
keep.
On
the land or the deep,
Safe
in sleep.
Love,
good night, Must thou go,
When
the day, And the night
Need
thee so?
All
is well. Speedeth all
To
their rest.
Fades
the light; And afar
Goeth
day, And the stars
Shineth
bright,
Fare
thee well; Day has gone,
Night
is on.
'Neath the sun, 'Neath the stars,
'Neath the sky,
As we go, This we know,
God is nigh.
