Memorial Page:
Updated 16 June 2009

 

 

TAPS

We in the United States have all heard the haunting song, "Taps".

It is the song that gives us that lump in our throats and usually tears in our eyes.

Following is the story behind the song.

Reportedly, it all began in 1862 during the Civil War, when Union Army Captain

Robert Ellicombe was with his men near Harris's Landing in Virginia. The Confederate

Army was on the other side of the narrow strip of land. During the

night, Captain Ellicombe heard the moans of a soldier who lay severely wounded

on the field. Not knowing if it was a Union or Confederate Soldier, the Captain

decided to risk his life and bring the stricken man back for medical attention.

 

Crawling on his stomach through the gunfire, the Captain reached the stricken

Soldier and began pulling him toward his encampment. When the Captain finally

reached his own lines, he discovered it was actually a Confederate solder, but the

soldier was dead. The Captain lit a lantern and suddenly caught his breath and

went numb with shock. In the dim light, he saw the face of the soldier.

It was his own son.

The boy had been studying music in the South when the war broke out.

Without telling his father, the boy enlisted in the Confederate Army.

The following morning, heartbroken, the father asked permission of his superiors

to give his son a full military burial, despite his enemy status. His request was

only partially granted. The Captain had asked if he could have a group of Army

band members playa funeral dirge for his son at the funeral. The request was

turned down since the soldier was a Confederate. But, out of respect for the

father, they did say they could give him only one musician. The Captain chose a

bugler. He asked the bugler to playa series of musical notes he had found on a

piece of paper in the pocket of the dead youth's uniform. This wish was granted.

 

The haunting melody, we now know as "Taps" used at military funerals, was

born. The words are: 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...Gleammg 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.

 

 

 

 

 

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

 A 

 

CWO2 JOHN W ABERNATHY

1969 – 1971

 

 

CAPTAIN RICHARD C ADAMS

1972 – 1974

 

 

CS3 JOSE D AGUIGUI

1963 – 1964

PLANKOWNER

 

 

SK3 DALE L ALDRICH

1969 – 1971

 

 

SD1 DIONISIO F ASPIRAS SR

1966 – 1970

 

 

ADJ3 ELLIS M AXON

1972

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B

 

 

 

BM2 PHILLIP M BAFFORD

1983 – 1985

 

 

SF1 REX C BARKER

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

 

CDR REAVES H BAYSINGER JR

1967 – 1968

 

 

HT1 ERNEST BLANKENSHIP

1981 – 1985

 

 

PCSN JACK BLANKENSHIP

1981 – 1982

 

 

BTC WILLIAM D BONG

1967 – 1970

 

MR2 ROBERT J BRATH JR

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

 

LTjg EARNIE R BREEDING

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

 

CS3 RICHARD M BRIDGEFORD

1963 – 1966

PLANKOWNER

 

 

QM2 JOHN E BUMSTEAD

1969 – 1972

 

 

LT ANDREW J BURTON

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

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C

 

LT CHARLES CARDENY

1972 – 1973

 

 

CDR DAVID R CARLISLE

1970 – 1971

 

 

LTjg ROBERT W CARLSON

1967 – 1969

 

 

SN JOHN L CASALI

1963 – 1966

PLANKOWNER

 

 

BT3 CARLOS CASTRO

1969 - 1970

 

 

 

 

SKSN FRED CAUDELL

1965 – 1966

 

 

SHC BILL J CAUDLE

1968 – 1971

 

SA RUSSELL W CHAMBERLIN

1963 – 1964

PLANKOWNER

 

 

SH3 WILLIAM J CHAMBERLIN

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

 

SM1 HAROLD S CHASE

1968 – 1973

 

 

CWO WILLIAM R CLEMENTS

1963 – 1966

PLANKOWNER

 

 

OS1 BARON D COLEMAN

1990 – 1993

 

 

BT1 ELMER F COLTON

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

 

BM3 ROY A COOPER

1965 – 1967

 

 

CDR BELMONT W COUSINS

1978 – 1980

 

 

EMFN EDWIN L CRENSHAW

1963 – 1964

PLANKOWNER

 

 

MMC FRANCASIO P CUARENTA

1968 – 1972

 

 

 

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D

 

 

 

LT CLARKE O DENNISON

1965 – 1968

 

 

HMC RICHARD DONNELLY

1980 – 1983

 

 

SH3 MICHAEL R DORE

1972 – 1973

 

 

MMCM FRANK C DREW

1966 – 1968

 

 

MA2 RICHARD M DUCKETT

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

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E

 

 

BT3 DONALD E EAVES

1965 – 1967

 

 

SDC LUIS EBUEN

1966 – 1970

 

 

BM1 KEITH ELLIS

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

 

SN RON A EMERY

1965 – 1968

 

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F

 

RD3 STEPHEN R FARQUAHAR

1964 – 1965

 

 

DP2 EDWARD J FASSIO

1969 – 1971

 

 

 

LCDR HARRY H FEIT JR

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

 

EM3 RICHARD O FEVOLD

1963 – 1966

PLANKOWNER

 

 

LT RICHARD C FISHER

1965 – 1967

 

 

MMCM CARL FREE

1974 – 1976

 

 

CS2 JAMES FREEMAN

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

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G

 

MSSN CRAIG L GAFFNER

1986 – 1987

 

 

DP3 VINCENT F GIACALONE

1969 – 1970

 

 

RDC RAYMOND P GILLMAN

1968 – 1970

 

HMC RICHARD S GODFREY

1963 - 1965 

PLANKOWNER 

 

 

BMCS WORDEN S GONYEA

1966 – 1970

 

 

EMC HONORIO C GOROSPE

1966 – 1969

 

 

CSCS JOHN W GRABE

1966 – 1968

 

 

 

CSCS CLIFTON C GRABILL

1963 – 1967

PLANKOWNER

 

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H

 

PC1 LEVIN C HACKETT

1964 – 1967

 

 

LT CHARLES E HALL

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

 

AMH2 HENRY A HAMMONDS

1972

 

 

AKCM GEORGE W HANDLIN

1967 – 1969

 

 

SM1 CHARLES H HARDIN

1969 – 1971

 

 

BT2 LAWRENCE L HARRIS

1963 – 1967

PLANKOWNER

 

 

SK3 RICK D HARRIS

1978 – 1981

 

 

SM2 WILLIAM M HARRISON

1980 – 1984

 

 

LCDR CARL T HEALER

1969 – 1971

 

 

SK3 JAMES T HEWEY

1965 – 1968

 

 

 

CAPTAIN IRA M HIPPER

1985 – 1986

 

 

SMC ROBERT C HURLEY

1967 – 1969

 

I

 

MS1 PAPU P IORAMO

1992

 

 

MM3 PHILLIP T IVES

1968 – 1970

 

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J

 

BT3 RICKY S JACOBS

1970 – 1973

 

 

PN2 DUDLEY JENAN

1965 – 1968

 

 

MMCM ELLSWORTH D JOHNSON

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

 

SK2 DONALD G JONES

1967 – 1969

 

 

SK1 CECILIO C JUDAL

1966 – 1969

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K

 

 

SM3 RAY R KELLY

1964 – 1966

 

 

PNC THOMAS J KIRK

1981 – 1984

 

 

ENC RICHARD A KNAPP

1988 – 1989

 

 

CAPTAIN ALBERT E KNUTSON

1971 – 1972

 

 

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L

LTjg CLYDE E LASSEN

1967 – 1968

 

 

DK2 JAMES L LAWEN

1966 – 1967

 

 

EN3 WILLIAM C LING

1963 – 1967

PLANKOWNER

 

 

AKC STANLEY L LOCZOWSKI

1963 – 1967

PLANKOWNER

 

 

LT GERALD T LOMBARDI

1965 – 1967

 

 

AK1 EARL LONGWORTH

1963 – 1964

PLANKOWNER

 

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M

 

 

 

SA PETER J MADAIKA

1963-1965

PLANKOWNER

 

 

 

GMGC OTTO MAHONEY

1968 – 1971

 

  

 

 

EN2 LANDON L MARKWITH

1966 – 1967

 

 

 

 

BM2 FRANCIS S MARRARA

1963 – 1967

PLANKOWNER

 

 

SK3 GILBERT T MAYON

1963 – 1967

PLANKOWNER

 

 

MA3 MILTON L McFARREN

1963 – 1964

PLANKOWNER

 

 

SK1 JOSEPH L McGEE

1967 – 1969

 

 

CWO2 CHARLES W McGRATH

1983 – 1987

 

 

SN GEORGE M McGUNNIGLE

1967 – 1968

 

 

RD2 ROYCE E McQUAIG

1965 – 1968

 

 

CWO CHARLES McVAY

1967 – 1970

 

 

CAPTAIN RUSSELL C MEDLEY

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

 

LTjg EDWARD W MOELLER

1967 – 1970

 

 

CDR EDWARDS M MORRIS

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

 

LTjg GEORGE MUNGER

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

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N

 

EN2 FLOYD O NAZOZRUA

1977 – 1979

 

 

SN RICHARD A NEFF

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

 

MM3 MAYNARD L NELSON

1967 – 1969

 

 

MM1 WALTER W NELSON

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

 

FTG3 JOHN L NICHOLSON

1969 – 1971

 

 

ETCM MARVIN NOLAN

1974 – 1976

 

 

LCDR HERBERT NORR

1972 – 1974

O

 

 

GMG3 DENNIS R OTTO

1967

 

 

CS2 BOBBY D OTTS

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

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P

 

 

SH1 TRUBIE PALMER

1967 – 1968

 

 

 

SKCM HENRY PASTERNAK

1963 – 1964

PLANKOWNER

 

 

QMC EUGENE G PICKERILL

1967 – 1969

 

 

SN LARRY PLUMMER

1965 – 1966

 

 

SKC NORMAN C POWER

1966 – 1968

R

 

 

RDSN JOHN S RAYKOWSKI

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

 

FT2 TERRY W REED

1963 – 1967

PLANKOWNER

 

 

SKC LONNIE D REESE JR

1963 – 1964

PLANKOWNER

 

 

MSCS CARLITO D REYES

1976 – 1978

 

 

CAPTAIN HORACE R RILEY JR

1966 – 1968

 

 

PCC DAVID A RINGLER

1972 – 1974

 

 

SK3 DAVID J ROCK

1970 – 1971

 

 

DP1 PAUL E ROCKSTAD

1963 – 1971

 

PLANKOWNER

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S

 

LT SHERMAN C SALISBURY

1964 – 1966

 

 

BM2 FRED H SCHLICHTHOLZ

1966 – 1969

 

 

BT1 MICHAEL E SCHOTT

1969 – 1970

 

 

RMC PAUL A SCHUTZ

1974 – 1976

 

 

SHSN DONALD A SILLIVEN

1967 – 1969

 

 

LT ARNOLD L SINGER

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

 

GMGC GEORGE F SLATTERY

1966 – 1968

 

 

SK2 JAMES F SLOCUM

1969 – 1971

 

 

ET3 THOMAS R SNAY

1987 – 1988

 

 

SK3 JAMES A STEMPLE

1969 – 1972

 

 

SK1 SHELDON C STONER

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

 

EN1 ALBERT L STORY

1970 – 1972

T

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SK1 TOMMY S TAAGA

1987 – 1989

 

 

 

SKSN HERSHEL J THOMPSON

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

 

LT WILLIAM C TONEY

1966 – 1967

 

 

 

SK2 RICHARD A TOON

1963 – 1966

PLANKOWNER

 

 

LT HOWARD F TRODAHL

1966 – 1970

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U

 

QM3 MARK A UPTON

1981 – 1985

V

 

 

SK1 RICARDO A VALES

1972 – 1973

W

 

 

SK3 JIMMIE G WADE

1966 – 1968

 

 

EN3 VERNON E WALTERS

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

 

BM1 LEON WASHINGTON

1972 – 1973

 

 

 

CAPTAIN GEORGE C WATKINS

1965 – 1966

 

 

 

 

 

CWO STERLING E WATSON

1972 – 1973

 

 

CDR HENRY J WERTIN

1965 – 1967

 

 

LTjg PHILLIP H WEST

1979 – 1982

 

 

CWO4 TEX L WESTERN

1963 – 1965

PLANKOWNER

 

 

SN VAYNE A WHEELER

1963 – 1966

PLANKOWNER

 

 

IC1 MORM WOJCZYNSKI

1963 – 1967

PLANKOWNER

 

 

LT NEIL H WOODWARD

1968 – 1971

 

 

BM1 ROY J WRIGHT

1963 – 1966

PLANKOWNER

 

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