There is a shortage of people players to play taps at military funerals. Funeral honor guards have increasingly used prerecorded versions often played in the speaker that fits inside a vehicle. The nonprofit bugles across America tries to provide a live player at as many funerals as possible. Here in San Diego were 20 years ago only 8% of military generals had a live player. Now with the groups up 28% dear. Joining me now is the California assistant director of bugles across America. Thank you for being with us. Tell us about how you started as a Marine bugle player in the first place. How did you become one. I joined the Marine or in 1966. I had previous experience playing trumpet since I was nine. When I got into the court in the first week of training they always ask if anyone wants to be in the band. Of ours I raised my hand and I got an interview and an audition with the bandmaster. He said you can play with any Marine Corps band but there was no opening for a trumpet player at the time. He sent me to what at that time exists called field music school and school taught trumpet players had a player bugle. In those days of a military post in the US and around the world if they were US post had a live bugler. That was their job. What did you used to play in those early days. Is You had to learn how to play 19 bugle calls. From reveille at 6:00 to taps at 10:00 and all of the calls in between like milk also call first call and call attention. That was your job. After school depending on how you did in school you got selected to go to a post. I ended up in Washington DC. What did you do there? I played for the bugle Corps. At the time they were the best military drum and bugle Corps in the world. We also plane that funerals much? When you are new to an outfit like I was there was only a private Private First Class and Lance Corporal. With you are new and you get somewhere you have to take all the extra duty. And sergeants and above sit back. When I got there sites playing the drum Corps. Out of the duty was what they call duty music. It was a day of playing bugle calls from 6:00 in the morning until 10:00 at night. Plus if there were taps details that had to be played you have to go to them. In my case I was there during Vietnam and there was a lot of soldiers coming back and in my time I put 250 times at Arlington. C were spending a lot of time playing our. Sometimes we would go with the honor guard and play six or seven times a day. Almost every day. Your lip is trembling needed just thinking about it. What you are doing now in some ways is a continuation of what you are offering them. Of course. When I was in the core it was a job I did not know the names of people he just went into the details in common with the bed. Today if it is not that we decide to take we at least know a name. We know that service they were and what rank they had. So there is a connection. Why is it so important to you that taps be played live at these funerals. When I meet these people I always ask them in question. If taps was played for your father or your uncle with you rather have a recorded taps or a life taps. Of course they always say life. The issue that we have here is across the nation even though there are 5000 -- of is across the nation it's only about 25%. This is with bugles across America. You are volunteering. It is a nonprofit organization we played for free we don't get paid for our guests it is all on us. The whole time I have been with them we have never missed a detail. If we are asked to play we will be -- we will be there. I the families that do not seem to mind whether it is live or not They do not know. 99% of the time you think it is live. When they go to a funeral home to make arrangements and the arranging sits across the table and says to them you want military honors in the family says yes. And the Ranger says okay all I need is your DD 214 which is the discharge papers of the deceased discharge papers. The Ranger says it will take care of the rest and will get the honor guard and all of that. They think sitting across from the table that they will get a live nuclear. 100% of the time they are convinced in their head that they are getting a live nuclear. That is not true. There are only a handful of us here. How many of you are in San Diego. Is 20. There is maybe half a dozen. What does it mean to you to be able to contribute to some of these. If you want a recorded taps that is fine. It means more to me today than it did when I was in the court. Now if I play one or the bugles across America have a name and I have a rank and I see the family crying. So in some ways it is an honor for you to be over to provide that life taps at the funeral. To families vitiate that. Of course. One of the things about playing is we stand at least 200 feet away from the family it is part of the deal. We are there to be heard not seen. We never stay after. We don't schmooze we don't say I'm sorry we do what we have to do we play taps and the evaporate. You will probably be in much demand for some years into the future. Forever. Just as a statistic 2000 veterans die every day. And he will be playing life taps as often as people requested. Yes. How can you people request live nuclear. You can go to our website. A family that requests a live nuclear will get one. Absolutely 100%. Thank you so much. My honor.
There is a shortage of musicians in the armed forces to play taps at military funerals. So funeral honor guards have relied on pre-recorded versions, often played through a speaker that fits inside a regular bugle.
The nonprofit Bugles Across America has a network of thousands of bugle and trumpet players nationwide responding to veterans' families' requests for a live performance of taps.
The San Diego chapter has about 20 volunteers, though only about six are especially active, according to the group's California assistant director, Roy Zanni. Only about 8 percent of San Diego military funerals had a live bugle player when Bugles Across America was founded in 2000. With the group's help, now 28 percent do, Zanni said.
Zanni joined the Marines in 1966 and was quickly put in the Marine Corps Drum and Bugle Corps based on his musical skill. He was stationed in Washington, D.C., eventually playing taps at Arlington National Cemetery 250 times.
"In those days, it was more of a job. You were a bugler and ordered to go do this for people you didn’t know," Zanni said. "Sometimes we’d spend all day there—six or seven details. But I have to admit, it was more of a job than anything emotional. Today, it’s totally different for me."
Zanni joined KPBS Midday Edition on Monday with more on why performing taps is so meaningful to him.
