A great American

I was in Illinois over the Memorial Day weekend for a family reunion. On Saturday we visited our parents’ gravesite at a small cemetery in Aurora. It was about dusk and very quiet. Then we heard the mournful notes of “Taps” being played on a bugle.

I looked down the road and saw a man all by himself playing “Taps.” When finished, he put his bugle in a sack and started walking to his car. I thought to myself, did he just do what I think he did? I have to go meet that man.

He said he played in an Italian band in the area. He said we are at war and far too many people don’t really care about it. He said it was his way of supporting our troops and honoring our country. He said he does it as often as he can at all the cemeteries in the area. He said he would play it again at the other end of the cemetery.

He drove his car to the top of a small hill. He walked over to the shade of a small tree, looked out over the graves and played “Taps” one more time. This time he had an appreciative audience and with tears in our eyes we applauded.

He placed his bugle in the sack, walked back to his car and drove off into the evening. Now he is a great American.

Bob Hahn