He sounds "Taps" for veterans' funeral in Bucks County. Hear him play

JD Mullane, Bucks County Courier Times
·1 min read
Jim McDevitt preparing to play "Taps" at Washington Crossing National Cemetery in Bucks County. He was a teenager in the 1950s who didn't play music when he accompanied a friend to a drum and bugle corps practice in Philadelphia. "I walked in the door ... was handed a horn and they said, 'Here', kid, make some noise with this.'"
Jim McDevitt preparing to play "Taps" at Washington Crossing National Cemetery in Bucks County. He was a teenager in the 1950s who didn't play music when he accompanied a friend to a drum and bugle corps practice in Philadelphia. "I walked in the door ... was handed a horn and they said, 'Here', kid, make some noise with this.'"

Jim McDevitt, 84, of Southampton, has sounded "Taps" at more than 5,000 burials at Washington Crossing National Cemetery in Upper Makefield, honoring veterans at their final resting place. The Coast Guard veteran and retired Philadelphia police officer volunteered for the duty, playing what he calls the "final goodbye" for the first time on Washington's birthday, Feb. 22, 2013.

At first, he played on Wednesdays, part of 60 active honor guard members divided into five teams. The volunteers fire guns, fold the flag (presenting it to the family of the deceased) and sound “Taps,” once a lullaby tune that began to be played to signal the end of the day during the Civil War. It began to be sounded at military funerals in World War I.

“And, you know, it’s an honor," McDevitt said. "Every single time I play. It’s to honor the veteran, and it’s really the last thing we can do for the family.”

Check out the video.

JD Mullane can be reached at 215-949-5745 or at jmullane@couriertimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Washington Crossing National Cemetery volunteer sounds Taps tribute