LIHU‘E — Taps, the familiar military bugle call, is just four notes.
It can be the hardest four notes a musician can play, said Sarah Tochiki, the music director at the Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School.
“It’s even harder on a real bugle,” Tochiki said.
At 3 p.m. local time, Monday, Tochiki climbed the stairs to the historic County Building, and at precisely 3 p.m., the first of the familiar four notes pierced the afternoon air.
“At first, I was not even thinking of doing it,” Tochiki said as the last notes wafted away with the trade winds. “But, I think now, I might save a spot for this.”
Kaua‘i had the honor of being at the western most point of the United States to participate in Taps Across America, the National Moment of Remembrance takes encourages Americans to pause for a minute to remember those who have died in military service to the United States.
The 3 p.m. time was selected because, according to the tapsacrossamerica.org website, it is the time when most Americans are enjoying time off from work for the national holiday.
Taps across America debuted on national television in 2020 when CBS News “On the Road” correspondent Steve Hartman teamed up with retired Air Force bugler Jari Villanueva, the founder of Taps for Veterans, and Taps Across America.
The pair invited buglers and musicians to sound Taps from their front porches all at the same time as part of the Taps Across America tribute. This massive effort replaced picnics, parades, and other celebrations that were canceled due to the pandemic.
On Kaua‘i, Tochiki took her post at the Kaua‘i Veterans Cemetery, and an Eagle Scout took up post at the flag poles at the Kaua‘i Veterans Center on Veterans Memorial Highway.
“I remember,” Tochiki said. “Six years ago, we brought a band to Washington, D.C., and we had a concert here under the monkeyp0d tree. But I haven’t even been in the building, yet.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
