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The Doughboy Foundation is a nonprofit organization that recognizes the 1,000th tap ringing at the World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C., on President’s Day. (Jari Villanueva)
WASHINGTON — Every day, across the square, at the World War I Memorial, a lone bugler stands across from a statue of Army Gen. John Pershing.
The bugler salutes the American flag, lifts a simple brass instrument with no valves or keys, and plays 24 distinctive tap notes. This is the universal call sounded at dusk on U.S. military installations around the world.
“The tap bugle call unites all American soldiers,” said Yari Villanueva, an Air Force veteran and director of the Doughboy Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the Daily Tap program.
In commemoration of President’s Day on Monday, the foundation marked the 1,000th tap since the monument opened three years ago at 1400 Pennsylvania Avenue, across from the White House Visitor Center. commend something.
The guest trumpeter will be Kevin Paul, active trumpet player and senior musician with the Washington Army Band. Paul is a Sergeant First Class and has performed at Arlington National Cemetery, the White House, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
He also serves as Operations Manager for the Doughboy Foundation and helps coordinate the daily tap calls at the World War I Memorial.
The AEF band, named after the American Expeditionary Force, will be wearing World War I uniforms on Monday.
This monument is owned by the National Park Service. The space in which it was built incorporated an existing statue of Pershing, who led the American Expeditionary Force throughout Europe during the war.
“At a time when America was fully focused on preparing for conflict, Pershing was appointed commander,” said Villanueva, who rang the first daily bell at the monument on Nov. 11, 2021.
Villanueva will be a guest speaker at Monday’s event. He plans to point out the significance of the event in his brief remarks before the taps turn on at 5 p.m.
Villanueva, a ceremonial trumpet player, worked in Washington for nearly 25 years. He has attended more than 5,000 funerals and other events, including at Arlington National Cemetery. He served at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling from his 1985 until 2008.
The Doughboy Foundation says the distinctive tap melody originates from the Civil War, but a daily call at the memorial at 5 p.m. honors all American service members and their loved ones.
Villanueva organized a select corps of buglers to honor U.S. military personnel and veterans with an evening bugle call.
Yari Villanueva, an Air Force veteran and bugler, is the president of the Doughboy Foundation, a nonprofit organization that honors the 1,000th tap-ringing at the World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C., on President’s Day. There is. Buglers wear replica uniforms at daily tap calls. (Jari Villanueva)
“The idea was to have buglers wearing military uniforms from World War I express their condolences every day, rain or shine, snow or heat,” he said. said Villanueva, former president of the non-profit organization Taps for Veterans.
The monument was the last war memorial in Washington commemorating a major American conflict of the 20th century. Other locations commemorate World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
An individual veteran will be recognized each day when Tap is played. The foundation says veterans can be from any military branch or era.
Clarence Clark, bugler of Company D, 369th Infantry, will be remembered on President’s Day. He was a member of an all-black Army regiment known as the Harlem Hellfighters, a unit that served in World War I.
“We wanted to honor the soldiers, especially the bugler players, with this event,” Villanueva said.
Guest buglers will be wearing replica uniforms worn by U.S. soldiers in World War I, and the bugle calls will be streamed live on the Doughboy Foundation’s YouTube channel.
Prominent trumpet players have participated in the daily tap calls since the beginning, including Mark Gould, who played with the Metropolitan Opera House, and Michael Harper, who played with the National Symphony Orchestra.
“We have a very diverse and inclusive roster of buglers. Some of our buglers are veterans who have served in top military bands. We also have 10-time Grammy Award winner Arturo Sandoval. and other world-class artists,” said Chris Islib, an associate with the 12-member U.S. World War I Centennial Committee, founded in 2013. .1.
The construction of the World War I Memorial was carried out according to the organization of the committee assigned to its construction.
In addition to its role in supporting the daily tap calls, the Doughboy Foundation will also be responsible for the educational outreach activities carried out by the committee and the upkeep of the monument.
The United States entered World War I in the spring of 1917. By the time the war ended on November 11, 1918, U.S. casualties were her 117,000.
“Although it was short-lived, our involvement was critical to ending the war,” Villanueva said.
Frank Buckles of West Virginia, who died in 2011 at the age of 110, was the last surviving U.S. veteran of World War I.
The First World War Memorial officially opened on April 16, 2021. The monument has a rectangular pool and is inscribed with references to campaigns and battles, but has not yet been fully erected.
The monument’s signature art installation, a 60-foot-long, 12-foot-tall sculpture titled “Soldier’s Journey,” depicting larger-than-life figures, is scheduled to open in September.
Old Pershing Park still contains a bronze statue and two monuments to Army Gen. John J. Pershing, which will be incorporated into the World War I Memorial and unveiled in Washington, D.C., on April 16, 2021. The inauguration ceremony was held (Carlos Bongianni/The Star-Spangled Banner)
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