Veteran Plays Taps 7,160 Times to Honor Fallen Heroes

When retired Master Sergeant Lee Hurdle attended a military funeral and saw a CD player hidden behind a gravestone playing Taps, something inside him said this wasn't right. He went home, dusted off his old trumpet from his school days, and taught himself to play the haunting 24-note melody that has honored fallen service members since the Civil War.

That was 2008. Since then, Hurdle has played live Taps at 7,160 military funerals and counting.

"I make a lot of people cry," Hurdle admits, his voice steady but emotional. "So I see that quite often."

The New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery, where Hurdle volunteers regularly, opened in 1997 on land that was once state forest. Director Sean Buck explains the cemetery was created as part of a national effort to ensure every veteran has a final resting place within 75 miles of home. Since that first burial of a World War I veteran in November 1997, nearly 19,000 veterans and their family members have been laid to rest there.

Today, the cemetery conducts about 1,100 burials each year. Every single one depends on volunteers like Hurdle who show up day after day to maintain the grounds and provide the reverent ceremonies these heroes deserve.

"It's emotional," Hurdle says about being at the cemetery. "But it's such a beautiful place. It's a beautiful place you want to be."

After 7,160 ceremonies, playing Taps still moves him, especially since his own son, an Air Force veteran who died in a motorcycle accident on his way to work at Hill Air Force Base, is buried at the cemetery. "It's the one I didn't do," Hurdle says quietly, referring to his son's funeral. "So I know what these people are going through."

Why This Inspires

Hurdle's story reminds us that honoring veterans isn't just about one weekend a year. It's about people who choose to show up, trumpet in hand, rain or shine, to ensure that every service member receives the live Taps they earned. It's about transforming personal loss into purpose, and irritation into action that has touched thousands of families.

His 7,160 performances aren't just notes on a horn. They're 7,160 promises kept that no veteran will be forgotten, and no family will grieve alone.