New Ceremonial Bugle to improve veterans' funerals
In a meeting with veterans' service organizations in Washington, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense John M. Molino unveiled an innovative way to improve military funeral honors. Honor guard members, though not musicians, can now play "Taps" on a recently developed ceremonial bugle, thanks to dramatic advancements in digital audio technology.
The Department worked with private industry to invent a small device that can be inserted deep into the bell of a bugle that plays a very high-quality rendition of Taps virtually indistinguishable from a live bugler. The rendition used for the bugle was recorded at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, 1999.
The ceremonial bugle is intended to be a dignified alternative to pre-recorded Taps played on a stereo, but will not be used as a substitute for a military musician when one is available.
"We will ask families if they would like to take...
