TAPS AT THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER
Jari Villanueva, Master Sergeant (retired) USAF BAND
© Copyright 2021 Jari Villanueva TapsBugler.com

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier sits majestically on a hill in Arlington National Cemetery, overlooking Washington, DC. Under the marble sarcophagus lies an Unknown Soldier from World War I. Directly in front, beneath the words “Here Lies In Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God,” lie two more Unknown Soldiers, one from World War II and the other from the Korean Conflict. In between lies an empty crypt that once held the remains of the Unknown Soldier from the Vietnam War, who was identified after DNA examination. The crypt is now marked with the words “Honoring and Keeping Faith with America’s Missing Servicemen 1958-1975” as a reminder of the Armed Forces’ commitment to the fullest possible accounting of missing service members.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded by Soldiers of the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), stationed at Fort Myer, adjacent to the Cemetery. Since assuming the task of guarding the Tomb in 1948, these Tomb Guards have kept a constant vigil at the Tomb every hour of the day, every day of the year. The Tomb has not been unguarded since 1937. The Old Guard (a name given to the regiment by General Winfield Scott during the Mexican War in 1847) took over the duties of guarding the Tomb and providing ceremonial support to the President and Arlington National Cemetery from the 2nd Regiment, 3rd United States Cavalry, following World War II.

The 3rd Cavalry Regiment had provided ceremonial support at Arlington since World War I. Those Cavalry Troopers served as the ceremonial unit at the first interment of the Unknown Soldier of World War I. They were also tasked with guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier between 1926 and 1942, when it was considered appropriate to have a proper military sentinel at such an honored place. Indeed, photos of soldiers guarding the Tomb during this period show the spurs worn by the Cavalry Troopers.

The bugle call of Taps has long been associated with Arlington National Cemetery. Today it is sounded at the many daily interments at Arlington, as well as at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier when a wreath is presented in honor of the Unknowns by the many military, veteran, civic, fraternal, school, and other organizations that travel to Washington to pay homage. It is also sounded at memorial services and ceremonies held in the cemetery. It is difficult to visit Arlington without hearing the 24 notes of the call sounded by a military bugler from one of the four premier military bands stationed in the national capital region.

Taps originated during the American Civil War, first replacing the regulation call for Extinguish Lights (Lights Out) in 1862 and later becoming associated with military funerals by the end of the war. The call was usually sounded after the three rifle volleys. This practice was performed at military funerals following the Civil War and was put into regulation in 1891. The first burials at Arlington took place in 1864, but no one knows exactly when Taps was first sounded at a graveside ceremony.

By the 1870s, Taps was part of the military funeral ritual and gradually became part of memorial services. The first Memorial Day observances at Arlington were held on May 30th, 1868. There is no written record of Taps being sounded as part of that ceremony, but over the years Taps became an important part of the annual program. Newspaper accounts from around the turn of the century describe Taps being sounded at this annual event. The buglers were from local infantry units, the US Marine Band, or Cavalry Regiments stationed at Fort Myer.

Taps is the only bugle call with a dual purpose. It is our National Song of Farewell, designated by Congress, and is sounded at military funerals and memorial services. It is still used in its original intent as the lights-out call in the evening. Today, Taps is sounded (usually played on a recording) on every US military base around the world to close out the evening. The call can be heard at Arlington in the evening at 11 PM, as the notes drift over the headstones of military personnel who once went to sleep with the bugle sound in their ears.

Military funerals at Arlington National Cemetery are supported by bands in Washington, DC. These musical units include The United States Army Band (Pershing’s Own), The Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, The United States Marine Band (The President’s Own), The United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps (The Commandant’s Own), The United States Navy Band, and The United States Air Force Band. Coast Guard funerals are musically supported by the Navy Band or a contract bugler. (The Coast Guard Band is located in Connecticut) 



Bands are used in Full Honor funerals to lead a procession through Arlington that includes a military commander, escort troops, casket bearers, chaplains, and a horse-drawn caisson. The bands play on the march (with muffled drum cadences) and perform appropriate hymns as the flag-draped casket is moved to the grave and as the flag is folded following Taps. Taps is sounded by a bandsman who steps out from the formation to render the honor.

At Standard Honors funerals, a bugler sounds Taps. Standard Honors (formerly referred to as Simple Honors) do not include all the portions of a Full Honors funeral but do include the basic elements of a military funeral service—casket bearers, a firing party of rifles, a chaplain, and a bugler. As in every ceremony, the call is sounded after the three volleys, before the flag is folded and presented to the next of kin.

An important duty for military bands is the ceremonies held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The Tomb is the domain of the US Army. As the senior service, it is charged with guarding the Unknown Soldiers and providing buglers to sound Taps at ceremonies on the plaza. Buglers are selected from members of The United States Army Band. These buglers sound Taps at the many wreath ceremonies held daily. Usually done in two shifts (morning and afternoon), they report to the Sergeant of the Guard or Relief Commander under the Memorial Amphitheater. The Tomb Guards have an area in the basement of the Memorial Amphitheater Display Room where they train and prepare for their daily missions. It is here that the bugler prepares for a ceremony on the plaza. Many buglers bring their band jacket (the US Army Band wears a unique eight-button frock adorned with special insignia and chevrons and a scarlet cap) on a hanger in a plastic travel bag and bring along essentials for the day-a lint brush, polishing cloth for the bugle, and a practice mute for warming up. The Tomb Guard maintains impeccable standards, and the buglers strive to be presentable to the public when they follow the Sentinel onto the plaza for a wreath ceremony. 

The Army Buglers at the Tomb are addressed as “Sergeant B” and are respected by the Tomb Guard for their musical skill and the role they play in the mission. There is mutual respect and admiration between the Tomb Guards and “Sergeant B”. In addition to sounding Taps, the buglers assist with moving the wreath to be presented at ceremonies.

When a service-related ceremony is held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (for example, a wreath-laying ceremony by the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force), that branch will provide the ceremonial support. This support includes a platoon of military personnel from the respective service and their band. These types of services are considered Full Honors wreath ceremonies. The band will play the national anthem if the presenter represents a foreign nation, followed by the Star-Spangled Banner. Once the wreath is presented, there is the customary beating of four muffled ruffles on the drum and the sounding of Taps. For this Taps, the bugler comes from the service branch performing the ceremony. As an Air Force Ceremonial Trumpeter, I had the honor of sounding Taps at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on several occasions for a Full Honors wreath ceremony.

It is a duty not taken lightly. Sounding Taps might be seen as a pretty easy chore, given that it’s a short call. As the late author and collector Roy Hempley wrote, “Taps is a simple tune, but it is not easy to play with the appropriate combination of beauty, emotion and serenity demanded by these occasions. Each bugler develops his or her style within limits defined by military custom and good taste. A not-so-obvious fact, however, is that buglers sometimes must render this solemn symbol of mourning under the most difficult circumstances, which might include hot or cold weather, rain, etc. There is no room for error regardless of the demands.” I have always considered sounding Taps at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier the military musicians’ equivalent of playing Carnegie Hall. It is the place where the most pressure is placed on performance.

Sounding Taps at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is an honor reserved only for military musicians, specifically members of one of the premier military bands in Washington. But that has not always been the case. At the turn of the 20th Century, funerals at Arlington were supported by Soldiers stationed at Fort Myer, Fort Hunt, and the Army War College at Washington Arsenal, now Fort McNair. Fort Myer was home to Cavalry units that provided ceremonial support in the nation’s capital. The 15th United States Cavalry provided troops for funeral escorts and burials at Arlington around the turn of the century. When the 3rd United States Cavalry Regiment was moved to Fort Myer following World War I, ceremonial duty was assumed by members of the unit, including band support from the 3rd Cavalry (Mounted) Band.

The 3rd Cavalry Regiment, along with other units, provided ceremonial support for the internment of the Unknown Soldier on November 11, 1921. The bugler chosen to sound Taps for the World War I Unknown Soldier was Sergeant Frank Witchey, the Headquarters Trumpeter (Bugler) for the Regiment. Witchey enlisted in the 3rd United States Cavalry Regiment (“Brave Rifles”) on March 30, 1908, at Ft. Clark, Texas. He was 16 at the time, but the Army allowed the recruitment of young buglers. He served his entire career with the 3rd. He was widely regarded as the best bugler in the regiment and went on to complete a 30-year career. After sounding Taps for the Unknown Soldier, Witchey became something of a celebrity. He was mentioned in numerous newspapers during the 1920s. Many articles referred to him as the most famous bugler of the War Department. During the 1920s and 1930s, up to his retirement in 1938, Witchey sounded Taps at Arlington hundreds of times for funerals and services at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He went on to sound Taps at the funerals of Presidents Woodrow Wilson (1923) and Howard Taft (1930), as well as other high-profile individuals. Witchey was photographed many times during this period, sounding Taps at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier alongside other 3rd Cavalry buglers who supported ceremonies and funerals at Arlington.

In 1926, the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, along with the 12th United States Infantry Regiment (both stationed at Fort Myer), began the mission of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, replacing a civilian watchman who had been posted during the day since November 17, 1925. Incredible as it seems, there was no military guard in the early years of the Tomb’s existence due to resistance to assigning Soldiers to this duty. During the years the 3rd Cavalry guarded the Tomb, their uniform was marked by the wearing of spurs on their boots. In April 1932, the original Tomb was completed with a large white marble sarcophagus. Originally set as a daylight duty, the guard was extended to a 24-hour watch at midnight on July 2, 1937. It has remained so ever since.

With the 3rd Cavalry Regiment’s move from Fort Myer to Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1942, The United States Army Band began supporting funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. A detachment called “The Funeral Band” began performing at ceremonies in the cemetery. Due to space limitations at the Army War College, where The Army Band was housed, the 28-member “Advance Detachment of The Army Band” moved to Fort Myer. This unit provided a band for funerals in Arlington and buglers for ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as well as for funeral honors in the cemetery.

The Army Band supported Presidential wreath-laying ceremonies beginning with President Franklin Roosevelt. On Memorial Day, 1933, President Roosevelt began a formal wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier that has continued to this day. President Roosevelt also traveled there on Armistice Day (November 11) to deliver addresses and lay a wreath. In 1936, the President was accompanied by General John Pershing and Secretary of the Navy Claude Swanson to lay a wreath. Pershing would return many times to visit the Tomb before his death in 1948. At his funeral service, the funeral procession stopped on the plaza one last time for the General of the Armies.

Interesting enough, despite the fact ceremonial duty at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was provided by Soldiers from Fort Myer, there is photographic evidence that suggests that trumpeters from The United States Army Band were called on to sound Taps for ceremonies on the plaza in the 1930s, notably after Franklin Roosevelt took office. Although the 3rd Cavalry Regiment was to remain at Fort Myer until 1942, trumpeters of The Army Band sounded Taps for Presidential wreath ceremonies. The author heard a story from the late collector and bugle historian Jack Carter that Roosevelt was not pleased with a bugler and ordered the Army Band to supply one for ceremonies he attended. This may be apocryphal and the author is looking for any supporting documentation.

When the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment was reactivated in 1948 they assumed ceremonial duties as escort to the President as well as providing soldiers for military funerals at Arlington and establishing the Tomb Guard as we know it today.

The United States Army Band (Pershing’s Own) had been providing buglers for services at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and a decision was made to continue the tradition of using valveless bugles. The bugle has been the traditional signal instrument in the United States Army since the Revolutionary War. It underwent several design changes before settling on the one used today. Unfortunately, there were no quality instruments available during the 1930s and 1940s. The M1892 G Field Trumpet was inadequate, and trumpeters from the band used the French-styled Clairon as an alternative during the 1930s. These large-belled bugles are pitched in the key of B-Flat and have a superior sound to the M1892s pitched in G. These Clairons came into use during World War I, and General Pershing ordered their use, replacing the smaller M1894 Bugle (known as Trench Bugles) during the 1920s and 1930s.

After World War II, members of the United States Army Band approached Vincent Bach, the renowned trumpet manufacturer, with the idea of producing special B-flat bugles for ceremonies at the Tomb and for funerals in Arlington. Bach had been producing bugles since 1926 but was happy to manufacture a special bugle (referred to as a field trumpet) for the Army.

Correspondence between Vincent Bach and Army Band buglers George Mitchell and George Myers dates to 1950, although Bach may have made a prototype by 1947. Gold-plated bugles were commissioned by the Vincent Bach Corporation for the Army Band and are still in use today for ceremonies at the Tomb.

For more information on the history of “Mr. Bach’s Bugles” please visit:

www.tapsbugler.com/bachs-bugles-part-1/

www.tapsbugler.com/bachs-bugles-part-2/

During the 1920s and early 1930s, many organizations came to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to pay their respects and lay a wreath. Groups such as the American Legion and the Boy Scouts brought their own buglers, who sounded Taps. Because there were no regulations governing the sounding of Taps, many buglers were allowed to sound the call at the Tomb.

In 1957, an American Legion bugler claimed to be the first civilian to sound Taps at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Milton Peters, a World War I veteran from Alliance, Ohio, sounded the call during a ceremony at the Tomb. In 1996, Dale Sprosty, a Korean War veteran from Mount Pleasant, Michigan, sought to sound Taps at the Tomb. His request reached Arlington through his Congressman, Representative Dave Camp. A compromise was reached to sound Taps at the Civil War Unknown Tomb, located near the Arlington House (the Custis-Lee Mansion).

By the 1970s, no outside performers were allowed to sound Taps at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or at military burials in the cemetery. To be sure, there have been rare occasions (extremely rare) when an exception has been made at a military funeral service in Arlington, but no civilian bugler is allowed to sound Taps at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier today.

As the number of wreath ceremonies increased in the 1960s and 70s, the Army Band posted a bugler each day at the tomb to sound Taps. These wreath laying ceremonies are held in between the changing of the guard.  During the summer months and especially around Memorial Day and Veterans Day, these ceremonies increase in number. Thanks to the internet, many videos are posted online of buglers sounding the 24 notes.

To the general public, hearing Taps sounded on the plaza in front of the Memorial Amphitheater is a memorable and moving experience. Most have little idea of the hard work, years of musical training, and preparation that go into the one minute of music performed at the Tomb. Sergeant First Class Drew Fremder of the Army Band stated, 

“Sounding Taps is playing in appreciation of those who have given their last breath in service to our nation and the freedoms we protect. For those who sacrificed more than I ever can in my career. A bugler plays no longer for appreciation, but in appreciation of the ultimate sacrifice. This humbling realization is something I carry with me to this day. It changes how I play; how I perform…..Putting on the uniform to serve my country as a musician is an honor. If this is my purpose as a musician in this world, I am honored to serve in appreciation of true heroes.”

There is a saying that for 60 seconds a bugler has the most important job in the military.

In 2012 and 2013, events were held at Arlington to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Taps and the 50th anniversary of Taps at the funeral of President John F. Kennedy. Buglers around the country attended the events held at the Tanner Amphitheater (Old Amphitheater) near the Lee Mansion. At both ceremonies buglers attended a ceremony to honor the Unknown soldier.

In November 2021, ceremonies marked the centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A special ceremony, “Taps in Honored Glory-The Centennial of Taps at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” was held at the Tanner Amphitheater to commemorate and honor the Unknown Soldier and to remember the three buglers (Staff Sergeant Frank Witchey in 1921, Sergeant First Class George Myers in 1958, and Sergeant Major Patrick Mastroleo in 1984) who sounded the call at the Unknown Soldier interments, as well as all buglers who have sounded the call on the plaza over the past 100 years.

Thanks to
CSM (ret) Daniel Smith and SFC Kevin Paul

REFERENCES

Bigler, Philip. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier-A Century of Honor. Quicksburg VA: AppleRidge Publishers, 2019

McCormick , David C. (1971) A History of the United States Army Band to 1946 [PHD Dissertation] Northwestern University

Michael, John. Images of America Fort Myer. Charleston SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2011

Websites

www.Tapsbugler.com

www.Tombguard.org

www.ArlingtonCemetery.mil


Jari Villanueva is considered the country’s foremost authority on U.S. military bugle calls, especially the call of Taps. He retired from the United States Air Force after serving 23 years as a bugler at Arlington National Cemetery. He was responsible for moving the bugle used at President Kennedy’s funeral from the Smithsonian Institute to Arlington, was behind the 150th  anniversary ceremonies of Taps  in 2012, instrumental in having Taps  designated as the National Song of Remembrance, and is currently involved with Taps For Veterans, an organization that helps provide live buglers for military funerals. Villanueva is the author of “Twenty-Four Notes That Tap Deep Emotions: The Story of America’s Most Famous Bugle Call” and is featured on the CD “Day is Done: Music Commemorating the 150th  Anniversary of Taps.” He retired after serving nine years as the Director of the Maryland National Guard Honor Guard and lives in Catonsville. Maryland. His website is www.TapsBugler.com

Photos of Buglers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier