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NPS/Megan Salter
Contact: Eric Leonard, 229 924-0343, x. 201 Armed Forces Day is Saturday May 18, 2013 and the solemn tune Taps will be sounded at every National Cemetery and U.S. Veterans cemetery worldwide at 11:00 a.m.This tribute to veterans is called EchoTaps and is sponsored by the organization Bugles Across America.Since 1949, the third Saturday in May has been designated as Armed Forces Day.This day will honor all those who have served and continue to serve in uniform. The EchoTaps event at Andersonville National Cemetery begins promptly at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday May 18. The purpose of EchoTaps is to honor and remember our American military veterans through a worldwide musical performance of Taps, foster a new generation of buglers who will play for veterans funerals and raise awareness of our National Cemeteries in the U.S. and overseas.Participating buglers will play Taps beginning at American Battle Monument Commission sites overseas and continuing to various cemeteries across America including National and State Veteran Cemeteries. The National Park Service maintains 14 National Cemeteries including the Andersonville National Cemetery. "EchoTaps begins nearly two weeks of events centered around the Memorial Day holiday," stated Superintendent Brad Bennett, "this program, along with those that follow one week later, provide Americans opportunities not only to reflect, but to participate in remembering." The EchoTaps tribute depends on volunteers who can play Taps on any brass instrument. Participating buglers need to arrive at least thirty minutes beforehand, and will be stationed throughout the cemetery to play a cascading rendition of 'Taps.'Anyone wishing to participate should contact Chief of Interpretation and Education Eric Leonard at 229 924-0343 or by email at eric_leonard@nps.gov Andersonville National Historic Site is located 10 miles south of Oglethorpe, GA and 10 miles northeast of Americus, GA on Georgia Highway 49. The national park features the National Prisoner of War Museum, Andersonville National Cemetery and the site of the historic Civil War prison, Camp Sumter. Andersonville National Historic Site is the only national park within the National Park System to serve as a memorial to all American prisoners of war. Park grounds are open from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. with the museum opening at 9:00 a.m. Admission is free. For more information on the park, call 229 924-0343, visit on the web at www.nps.gov/ande/, or find us on Facebook at facebook.com/AndersonvilleNPS About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 401 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov. |
Last updated: April 24, 2024