While the sound of the bugle may stop us momentarily from what we are doing, the tradition and honor that accompanies this music deserves more than a moment of our time. Taps carries extra significance for Martinsburg VA this year, as they are blessed with a special playing from one of their Veteran patients to mark Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
When 90-year-old Air Force Veteran John Gordon offered to play Taps at the flag poles in front of the medical center to honor this most reverent day, it was an opportunity the medical center could not refuse.
Air Force Veteran John Gordon
Gordon is a native of the town for which the medical center is named and served 28 years during the Korea and Vietnam conflict eras. When he retired from the military and returned home, he traded his high school band trumpet for a bugle.
Taps and Pledge of Allegiance
As a member of Taps Across America, Gordon has played Taps in his community for the past two years. He also recites the pledge of allegiance.
It’s important to him to remember and honor his comrades—those who came before him and those who will come after—by playing Taps daily for his housing development located along the scenic Potomac River in West Virginia.
“I usually single out the youngest person in the crowd for the pledge,” Gordon said. “I do that, so the young people get involved, learn the importance of why I do this.”
A retired schoolteacher, Gordon’s mission is to teach others about Veterans, service members, and their dedication to our nation. To him, the opportunity to play Taps was not for his own recognition but an opportunity to honor those who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor.
“It’s not about me,” Gordon explains. “It’s about them.”
With each passing year, the nation loses more of its treasured WWII Veterans. Martinsburg VA currently has less than 1,000 enrolled WWII Veterans, five who currently call the Community Living Center their home.
The next time you hear Taps played, let it hold a special reverence. Let it remind you of our nation’s Veterans and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Martinsburg VA thanks Gordon for his continued service.
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