IV 111th CONGRESS 1st Session H. CON. RES. 219 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 8, 2009 Mr. Terry submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending the leadership and thousands of volunteers involved with Bugles Across America for their commitment and sacrifice to ensure veterans are laid to rest with the honor and ceremony they earned through selfless service to the people of the United States in the Armed Forces.

Whereas the National Defense Authorization Act of 2000 (Public Law 106–65) directed the Department of Defense to provide every veteran, upon request, a funeral honors detail consisting of at least two uniformed ser­vice­mem­bers, a flag ceremony, and the playing of Taps; Whereas the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that veterans of World War II are dying at a rate of more than 1,000 per day, and the Department of Defense has estimated it can provide live bugle players for only 20 percent of funeral requests; Whereas retired United States Marine Tom Day felt that playing a recorded version of Taps on a CD player or other audio system failed to provide veterans with the full dignity and respect of a live bugle player at their funeral or memorial service; Whereas retired United States Marine Tom Day founded Bugles Across America in November 2000 with the goal of providing Taps played live by a volunteer bugler at the funeral or memorial service of every veteran nationwide; Whereas Bugles Across America has recruited 6,200 volunteer horn, trumpet, and bugle players from high schools, colleges, drum-and-bugle corps, and honor guards in all 50 States, and the number of volunteers continues to increase as more citizens become aware of Bugles Across America; Whereas Bugles Across America provides live renditions of Taps for more than 2,200 military funerals each month, providing a valuable service to veterans and their families; Whereas an estimated 80 percent or more of the funerals for casualties in ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan had a volunteer horn player from Bugles Across America; Whereas Bugles Across America welcomes volunteer bugle, horn, and trumpet players of any age, sex, race, or creed who can “play the 24 notes of Taps with an ease and style that will do honor to both the veterans, their families, and the burial detail performing the funeral or memorial service”; Whereas Bugles Across America supports volunteer bugle, horn, and trumpet players by restoring and repairing many secondhand instruments to be played for veterans with dignity and respect; and Whereas the playing of Taps is a hallmark of a military funeral, befitting the honor and dignity veterans have earned through their selfless sacrifices for the Nation: Now, therefore, be it

That Congress— (1)recognizes and commends the leadership and thousands of volunteers involved with Bugles Across America for their commitment and sacrifice to ensure veterans are laid to rest with the honor and ceremony they earned through selfless service to the people of the United States in the Armed Forces; (2)urges every veterans service organization, State and local government, funeral home, and veterans service office to inform veterans and their families of the valuable services offered by Bugles Across America; and (3)directs that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs inform the respective veterans service organizations and state and county local governments of the availability of Bugles Across America for the funerals of veterans.