Army begins Milli Vanilli military funerals

[brainshrub]

From: http://blog.wired.com/lazygadgets/index.album?i=5&s=1

The U.S. military has found the perfect way to demonstrate that it's purely the thought that counts. This bugle emulator sits in a real bugle and plays a collection of calls, including "Taps." Due to a shortage of actual bugle players, the Pentagon had already ordered 700 of these to be used at military funerals in 2003.

On one hand, I understand they have to do something if there is no bugler around. However this seems very disingenuous.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. The perfect symbol for all the "genuineness" of Rumsfeld and his

policies of caring and compassion for our soldiers.

[benddem]

5. sorry

but you just can't go and make buglers. What are they supposed to do? Draft Buglers????
You go learn to play one and volunteer. This is an unwarranted criticism of the military. They do enough other stuff that's terrible. Leave the bugles alone.

[BrklynLiberal]

13. It was not a criticism of the buglers. It is a criticism of this admin.

The shortage of buglers is an obvious result of their inability to inspire people to join the military.

I do not see how my post could have been construed as a conticism of the military.

[MadHound]

15. Actually, this has been an ever growing problem

And it didn't originate with Bush. The army was having problems fulfilling its bugling obligations during the Clinton days. It was and is just a function of numbers. An increasing number of vetrans, who are due a bugler at their funeral, combined with a decreasing number of buglers and thus you end up with something like this.

[IndyOp]

2. The worst of it is that they don't tell the families what to expect -

A DUer posted something about this a while back. Someone who responded to the post had had a 'fake bugler' show up at their father's funeral. They were really upset that the Army had offered to send someone and then it turned out to be fake - they otherwise would have hired a musician to come give their father a decent farewell.

If the family is told in advance - then okay - but otherwise I think it is disgraceful... :puke:

[tuvor]

3. They've been doing this for a couple of years, now.

I remember reading about this not long after bush invaded Iraq.

[dipsydoodle]

4. I like the analogy

in the subject line. Who got playing - Louis Armstrong ?

[DemoTex]

6. Is this from "The Onion"?

What happens when the lazy bugler-impersonator dials in the wrong bugle call at a funeral and gets Reveille or, worse, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy?

[nickyt]

7. My dad (USMC, 32 years) was buried in 1995 in Beaufort SC at the

National Cemetary there. As a musician myself (in my own way), I was stunned when they played this scratchy old awful tape of "Taps", but hey...a little "heads up" would have been much appreciated?, but - oh well. There's only so many real buglers to go around, as benddem said.
Guess a real live bugler is something we've all seen in movies and assumed always happened (cuz you don't really think about it it 'til you're standing at the gravesite, sad and incomprehending)...

[jarab]

8. Of the several I've been privileged to witness ....

there have been no known complaints. But, two real buglers slightly out of time (echo effect) were excellent, too.
Much gratutude here for the existence of military funerals. It could be worse, I'm sure.
...O...

[DrDebug]

9. In the meantime in Ypres since 1918

The British are playing the Last Post. Day in day out at 8pm for 87 years.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

10. That's a step up from what I experienced. When the love of my life died

5 years ago, he was buried at a Military cemetary out on Long Island. It was like a fast food take out service. Cars lined up for other funerals. The casket was unloaded and placed under a cement arborlike area. They took out a tape recorder which played taps. We couldn't go to the grave site and had to leave him where he was. It was just so cold.

[readmoreoften]

11. I'm so sorry. /nt

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

12. Thank you. eom

[Geoff R. Casavant]

14. You can learn a bugle in 20 minutes

Pretty much anyone who has made a fart sound with his mouth can produce a tone from a bugle. A bugle also has no keys, and only produces certain notes, maybe seven or eight notes. Every bugle call uses just a few of these notes, and bugle calls last less than a minute, so it's not like you need developed cheek muscles.