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Last updated on Friday, November 8, 2013
(BEDFORD) - Roger Gales, a band instructor at Bedford North Lawrence High School will be traveling to Arlington Cemetery.
Bob Bridge of the Times-Mail reports that Gales is among more than 1,000 buglers assembling in Washington, D.C., Nov. 15 and 16 to participate in a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the playing of "Taps" at President John F. Kennedy's funeral.
Gales is well versed on all musical instruments, his specialty is the trumpet, which he has been playing for more than 50 years.
Gales was immersed in a project for a masters course using Microsoft Office when a series of events steered him to Arlington.
He was doing research on Civil War band music.While doing that research Gales kept viewing Jari Villaneuva's name. Villaneuva is a "Taps" historian and former Air Force bugler at Arlington.
After speaking to Villaneuva he visited the website tapsbugler.com and learned about the 50th anniversary of "Taps" in memory of Keith Clark, Kennedy's 'Taps' bulger. Clark was also Gales' trumpet professor at Roberts Wesleyan College in New York.
Villaneuva suggested Gales audition to play the bugle during the commemoration.
The events will include a reception and a rehearsal before Col. Michael Colburn of the U.S. Marine Band conducts a playing of "Taps." Then, Gales and the other buglers will move to predetermined positions across Arlington's hilly landscape. Gales will play at the grave site of Gus Grissom. Then at a prescribed time, 'Taps' will echo across the hills of Arlington.
Villaneuva now heads Taps for Veterans, an organization dedicated to providing qualified, competent buglers at the funerals of military personnel and Gales is now a part of the volunteers.
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