There has been discussion about the appropriateness of sounding Taps as part of Veterans Day ceremonies. I have also received some emails and messages asking about it. The concern about sounding Taps on this day stems from the fact that we are celebrating and honoring living veterans who have served in our military. We also recognize the continued service of those wearing the uniform today.

Ceremonies marking Veterans Day will be held throughout the country, and most will include an honor guard. Some of these ceremonies will take place in cemeteries. Most will conclude with a wreath presentation, the firing of three volleys, and the sounding of Taps.

Sgt. Frank Witchey, US 3rd Cavalry Bugler, who sounded Taps for the Unknown Soldier, November 11, 1921

The tradition of sounding Taps on November 11 of each year stems from the fact that this date was once known as Armistice Day, commemorating the cessation of all major hostilities of World War I at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, with the German signing of the Armistice. Armistice Day became a legal Federal holiday in 1938, when Congress passed a bill declaring that each November 11 “shall be dedicated to the cause of world peace and … hereafter celebrated and known as Armistice Day.” Congress officially renamed the holiday Veterans Day in 1954, and President Eisenhower asked citizens to observe the day by remembering and honoring the sacrifices of servicemen in all of America’s wars and by re-dedicating themselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace.

Every year since 1919, there has been a ceremony marking the end of the war. After the World War I Unknown Soldier was interred at Arlington National Cemetery in 1921, a ceremony has been held there to honor that Unknown. The ceremony is marked by the President laying a wreath and by the sounding of Taps by an Army bugler.

Ceremony for the Unknown Soldier, November 11, 1921

The British Observance

In the United Kingdom, ceremonies are also held on November 11, marking the end of the World War I hostilities. This day is known as Remembrance Day, with the main ceremonies held at the Cenotaph Memorial. This ceremony includes the sounding of Last Post, the Commonwealth’s equivalent of Taps.

Ceremonies at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London, during the Remembrance Sunday service. About 4,500 ex-servicemen and women took part in a march past the Cenotaph after The Last Post is sounded.

Veterans Day is a time in which we remember and honor those living veterans who have served and continue to serve. But as with most military traditions, there is a time to pause and remember those who have gone before. With that in mind, it is appropriate to take time during a Veterans Day ceremony to remember those who have died, and also honor those still with us, with the sounding of Taps.

Taps has become our National Song of Remembrance and has, over the many decades, become part of our American culture and fabric. Every living veteran can recall going to sleep to the strains of the call. Countless Americans, whether they have served or not, have heard the familiar melody over the years.

Today many buglers will sound Taps as part of the National Salute. This sounding of Taps, sponsored by TAPS FOR VETERANS honors every person who has donned the uniform of our nation.

A Dual Purpose

Taps has always had a dual purpose. One is to end the day, extinguish lights and go to sleep (“Day is done, gone the sun…”). The call in this context has transcended the military. It is used at summer camps, to honor fallen First Responders, sung by Girl Scouts, and played in the evening by civilians in hometown communities.

The other purpose is as the final honors at a military funeral for a veteran, and at memorial services and wreath ceremonies. Yet this, too, has transcended the military, as it is used at services for those who serve in other uniforms besides the military.

Should Taps be sounded on Veterans Day? In my view, it is just as fitting as singing the Star-Spangled Banner.

You will hear it in many forms on November 11. Played on the bugle at Arlington, echoed by high school trumpeters, performed in a concert arrangement by a band, sounded at countless ceremonies around the country by trumpeters and buglers.

Jari Villanueva, Veterans Day 2026 Catonsville, MD

Enjoyed this article? Subscribe to Taps Bugler for new posts and updates.