Piece Comment

Review of The Military Honor Guard (long version)


This piece gives an overview of a military funeral: the 4-person flag fold for someone who died in active duty, the 2-person fold for elderly veterans; the 21-gun salute; the guy playing taps. As we go through the preparations for a funeral in Long Island, one officer says he oversees 140 funerals a month. A taps player says he tries to put out of his mind that he's playing at a funeral, so that his emotions don't catch up with him while he plays. Straight forward, with the sounds of guns and taps towards the end, this piece would work well on Memorial Day as a explanation of what goes on at a military funeral.