Day is done. Gone the sun.
Twenty-four notes. That's all.
Twenty-four notes played slowly on a single bugle at every American military funeral, every VFW Post memorial service, every flag lowering at day's end. Twenty-four notes that stop conversation, still crowds, and put a lump in the throat of every veteran who hears them.
Taps is how we say goodbye.
At VFW Post 969, Taps sounds when a comrade completes their final tour of duty — when a member of our Post, the Auxiliary, or our extended veteran family answers the last call. We honor them. We remember them. We do not forget.
The story of Taps begins on a still summer night in Virginia during the darkest days of the Civil War.
In July 1862, the Union Army of the Potomac was camped at Harrison's Landing, Virginia, resting and recuperating after the brutal Seven Days Battles near Richmond. Six hundred men from Brig. Gen. Daniel Butterfield's brigadehad been lost. Butterfield himself had been wounded at Gaines' Mill (an action that would eventually earn him the Medal of Honor).
That night, Butterfield summoned his brigade bugler, Private Oliver Wilcox Norton of the 83rd Pennsylvania Volunteers, to his tent.
Butterfield disliked the existing "lights out" bugle call — a French-borrowed tune he thought was too formal and impersonal to end the soldier's day. He handed Norton a set of notes scribbled on the back of an envelope and asked him to sound them on his bugle.
Norton later wrote:
"I did this several times, playing the music as written. He changed it somewhat, lengthening some notes and shortening others, but retaining the melody as he first gave it to me. After getting it to his satisfaction, he directed me to sound that call for Taps thereafter... The music was beautiful on that still summer night and was heard far beyond the limits of our Brigade."
By the next morning, buglers from neighboring brigades were asking for copies. Within months, both Union and Confederate armies were using it. The U.S. Army officially adopted Taps in 1874. It became mandatory at all military funerals in 1891.
The custom of playing Taps at military funerals began that same summer at Harrison's Landing.
Captain John C. Tidball, West Point Class of 1848, commanded Battery A of the 2nd U.S. Artillery. When one of his corporals — described by Tidball as "a most excellent man" — died in early July 1862, Tidball wanted to bury him with full military honors. Because the enemy was close, he was refused permission to fire the traditional three rifle volleys over the grave.
Tidball later wrote:
"The thought suggested itself to me to sound Taps instead, which I did. The idea was taken up by others, until in a short time it was adopted by the entire army and is now looked upon as the most appropriate and touching part of a military funeral."
Battery A had the honor of introducing Taps at military funerals. By 1891 it was the required close of every U.S. military burial.vfw5821
Taps is only 24 notes long. Fifty-eight seconds, give or take.
Simple in structure. Devastating in effect.
Though the tune has no official lyrics, one of the most widely known versions reads:
Day is done, gone the sun
From the lakes, from the hills, from the sky
All is well, safely rest
God is nigh.Fading light, dims the sight
And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright
From afar, drawing nigh
Falls the night.Thanks and praise, for our days
*'Neath the sun, 'neath the stars, 'neath the sky*
As we go, this we know
God is nigh.
Taps is sounded at the following times and events:
🎖️ Military funerals — the final farewell for every American service member entitled to funeral honors (Honor Guard →)
🕊️ Memorial Day ceremonies — the traditional close after "Present Arms"
🕊️ Veterans Day ceremonies
🕯️ POW/MIA Recognition Day — as part of the Missing Man Table ceremony (POW/MIA →)
🎗️ VFW Post memorial services — when we honor departed comrades
🏛️ VFW National Convention Memorial Service — held annually to honor VFW members who died in the past year
🌙 Lights out — at the close of the military day on U.S. military bases across the country
Protocol: When Taps is sounded, those in uniform render a hand salute. Those in civilian clothes place their right hand over their heart and stand at attention until the last note fades.
When a member of VFW Post 969 completes their final tour of duty, the Post conducts a solemn ceremony called the Draping of the Charter.
The Post Charter is draped in mourning cloth. Officers and comrades gather. The Post Chaplain reads a memorial tribute. Prayers are offered. And when the ceremony reaches its close, the Commander or Chaplain gives the command:
"Bugler — sound Taps."
A comrade is never forgotten. Their name lives in the Post's records. Their service is remembered.
Post 969 conducts memorial ceremonies for departed comrades throughout the year. These may include:
Draping of the Charter at the regular Post meeting following a member's passing
Graveside VFW Memorial Tribute with rifle volleys and Taps, upon request of the family (Honor Guard →)
Annual Memorial Day Ceremony honoring all Post 969 members lost in the past year
VFW National Memorial Service representation at the National Convention
If your loved one was a Post 969 member and you need memorial support — a graveside tribute, a chaplain, an honor guard, or simply a listening ear — please contact us.
📞 253-272-1405
✉️ adj@vfw969.org
VFW Post 969 can arrange for Taps to be sounded at the funeral or memorial service of any eligible veteran through our Honor Guard → team.
By federal law, every eligible veteran is entitled to military funeral honors — which include the folding and presentation of the U.S. flag and the sounding of Taps. Every veteran. Every time.
Eligibility for military funeral honors:
Military members on active duty or in the Selected Reserve
Former members honorably discharged
Former members of the Selected Reserve who served their initial obligation
Former members honorably discharged for a disability
How to request:
Contact the funeral home first — they know how to initiate military funeral honors
If more help is needed, call Post 969: 253-272-1405
VFW Post 969 — Eric G. Sandstrom Post
📍 3510 McKinley Ave, Tacoma, WA 98404
📞 253-272-1405
✉️ adj@vfw969.org
🌐 vfw969.org
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Twenty-four notes.
A comrade at rest.
A promise kept.
