In red states and in blue, from city centers to the middle of nowhere, Americans of every kind came together for Taps Across America, a one-of-a-kind Memorial Day tribute.
Since 2020, CBS News has called on musicians, horn players especially, to honor the fallen by playing Taps at 3 p.m. — the National Moment of Remembrance.
The goal is that someday the true meaning of Memorial Day will be inescapable — that no matter where you live, at 3 p.m. local time, you will hear Taps lofting over your neighborhood. And just based on the videos already rolling in this year, we’re well on our way.
CBS News received videos of people from all over, from their back decks to the deck of the USS Yorktown. Taps echoed around the track at Churchill Downs and off the metal roofs of every Lowes in the country.
It was performed by children, like Noah Bates, who played with his Vietnam veteran grandfather, and it was performed for children when Eagle Scout Ricky Lazaro played in Uvalde, Texas.
But no matter the audience, no matter the setting, the message carried across this land loud and clear.
We will never know exactly how many played this year, or how many heard it, but what we do know is that Taps Across America has been widely embraced in all 50 states.
A tradition to remember.
