Letter: Honor vets with "Taps" tribute
Bugler Lou DiLeo plays taps at Calverton National Cemetery in Calverton. Cuts by the New York National Guard to funding for civilian contractors who staff military funerals will eliminate the salary of the last bugler in the area who plays taps live at Long Island cemeteries. (Aug 30, 2012) Credit: Ed Betz
A proposal to cut funds for buglers to play "Taps" at military funerals was a travesty [" 'Taps' will play on for our veterans," Editorial, Sept. 6]. The electronic bugle is a shrill insult to the families of the brave men and women who served this nation selflessly.
Instead of economizing on the final somber ceremony of a fallen soldier, we ought to question, and question again, the reasons we deploy troops. Our men and women should only be put in harm's way as a last resort, and never frivolously.
The high number of military funerals this past decade is a reminder of an entirely unnecessary invasion of Iraq that distracted us from our mission in Afghanistan, which began more than 10 years ago and drags on more than a year after Seal Team 6 took out Osama bin Laden.
Philip Sivilli, Bay Shore
This is a regrettable harbinger of the troubled times we live in, and a mortal blow to the veterans community and their families. It says something about today's society and our priorities.
The public does not understand us. As veterans, we are part of an elite group.
William Ober, Huntington
Editor's note: The writer served in the Marines from 1961 through 1967.
