Castle Bravo

I have the honor of playing taps in Normandy France on 6jun, the 60th anniversary of d-day. I was pulled from Iraq to play taps as a representative of the 1st Infantry Division, who stormed the beaches of France 60 years ago.

Last summer I was lamenting to Leigh how taps is always played on a trumpet, not a bugle, and how all bugles pretty much suck and none of them are real instruments. (Not talking about DCI bugles, I'm referring to single-loop Bb bugles). So, Leigh built one to my specs, and I went over to England and had it tweaked until it played the way I wanted it to play. It took a lot of work, but it looks, plays and sounds like a world class trumpet with no valves!!
I'm breakin' out the prototype on sunday in Normandy. Hopefully I'll have some pics to post from the ceremony when I return..... 8)

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Gary Wilder

JackD

Congratulations on getting the gig, Gary!

I hope it all goes well, and I look forward to seeing the pictures of the eclipse bugle.[/i]

FreshBrewed

I've played that bugle and it is a real mother of a bugle. Huge sound and easy to control. Thanks for letting me try it out Gary.

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Mike
Eclipse MHY Bell
1949 Olds Ambassador

Listening has nothing to do with moving your mouth!

dcstep

Wow, what an honor!! Thanks for sharing.

It's good to see a great instrument be put to good use.

Dave

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uatrmpt

What key is the bugle in? If it's in Bb, maybe we can get someone to compare them to the new Getzen Bb bugles that are out now.

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--Matt--

Skip

Thanks for posting Gary,

I'll be watching (as I'm sure everyone else here will be). Sure hope that CNN shows some good footage of you. Congratulations on the honor!

Happy Canuck

Gary, I watched the service from Omaha Beach, with President Bush in attendance. The bugler played a trumpet and wore glasses??!!

What happened?

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Bill

Olds Ambassador, Special, Super, Recording, Mendez Bb trumpets, Custom C trumpet/GR Butcher 65.6M
Olds Opera & Ambassador A6 Shepherds Crook cornets/Sparx 4B
Olds L-12 Flugelhorn/GR Butcher 65.6FL
Schilke MII Trumpet/GR Butcher 65.6M
If you have an Olds, go to http://www.theoldsregister.com/ and add data

Castle Bravo

Yeah, as it turns out, I didnt have THE gig, the one with the president. I was in attendance for the speech, and spent the next two days playing multiple ceremonies with surviving veterans that stormed the beaches with the First Infantry Division on the beaches of normandy, as well as in several of the towns that were liberated by the 1ID (ten ceremonies total). I felt as if I were walking through history, those vets are our national treasure. I wish I could hug every one of them and thank them individually, but that just wasn't possible. Our generation will never know the horror of a war like WWII, and I can only imagine what they went through. After hearing their stories, Iraq didn't seem so bad...
Anyway, the bugle was absolute money, I knew I played well and the feeback from the veterans was measured in tears.... mission was a complete success. I will take the bugle back with me to Iraq, where I will hopefully never have to use it... but something tells me I will. Thanx Leigh for making a superb horn, sorry I couldn't get it on CNN as I'd hoped, but I wish you could have been there to see it in action. The veterans were moved by it, and I have never been so proud to wear a 1ID combat patch!
( I'll get some pics from the 1ID PAO guy, but it may take a while as he has a lot of work to after the occasion)

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Gary Wilder

Happy Canuck

To play for the Vets instead of the politicians is a much better opportunity!

I certainly watched the Canadian services, 1st was at the Military cemetary, the second on Juno Beach. Both very special services. The regiment I served in had landed at Dieppe and didn't have to make the D-Day landing, they landed in July to start the push.

Be safe when you return to Iraq, and I agree, hopefully you won't have to play but I expect you will.

Reminds me of a phrase from the movie Shenandoah:
"The politicians say we have too, the old men say is is good, but the boys just want to go home"

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Bill

Olds Ambassador, Special, Super, Recording, Mendez Bb trumpets, Custom C trumpet/GR Butcher 65.6M
Olds Opera & Ambassador A6 Shepherds Crook cornets/Sparx 4B
Olds L-12 Flugelhorn/GR Butcher 65.6FL
Schilke MII Trumpet/GR Butcher 65.6M
If you have an Olds, go to http://www.theoldsregister.com/ and add data

Skip

Thanks Gary!