KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the next week, there will be a special ceremony held at the National WWI Museum and Memorial each night.
The event will focus on honoring those who have served or currently serving, as well as those who gave their lives in the line of duty.
It's called "Taps at the Tower" and will happen at sunset each evening.
"We have a presentation of colors, a wreath is laid, a reading from the great frieze on the north side of the memorial and then Taps is played," Dr. Matt Naylor, President and CEO of the museum and memorial said.
One of the people playing Taps is John Green. He plays it the traditional way by playing the bugle.
"I started playing in the eighth grade, about 1955," Green said.
He said there are not many bugle players left in the nation.
"Originally, they didn't have radios and telephones. So, the only way they could signal troops to do what they wanted them to do was to use a bugle," Green said.
He wears a replica WWI uniform while he plays the funeral and remembrance song.
Green will be the only Taps at the Tower performer playing the bugle.
It is the sixth year of the event and thousands attend each year.
Green said playing the instrument is harder than it looks, but he's happy to be able to perform.
"You do have to really concentrate because you are changing one note to another and you are doing it with your lips. You are tightening and loosing your lips," he said. "It's just part of honoring our fallen soldiers mainly from the first World War. It was such a nasty war. This is a way of honoring them and showing our appreciation for what they did."
The ceremony will happen around 8:45 p.m. each night when the sun sets. The Liberty Memorial Tower will be open for an hour after the ceremony this week for visitors to go to the top and experience panoramic views of Kansas City.
For more information, visit the museum's website.
