Tom Day has a song in his heart. The melody consists of 24 notes. With bugle in hand, Day makes a lasting impression by sharing his music.

Two of Day’s biggest fans are Bonnie and Eric Schuller of Willowbrook. When Bonnie’s father John Czaplicki died in May 2006, Eric immediately contacted Day to request his presence at Resurrection Cemetery.

While mourners gathered around the grave, Day played Taps to honor Czaplicki, a U.S. Air Force veteran. Following the customary 21-gun salute, Day played Amazing Grace and presented John’s widow, Genevieve, with a special plaque. Day explained that the bugle with which he played Taps was the same bugle that had trumpeted the song at the funeral of President William McKinley.

Bonnie Schuller praised Day for his kindness.

“Tom is a wonderful man. He has a heart of gold. He goes way above and beyond to make his presence perfect at every veteran’s funeral. He played at the funerals of my father-in-law, John Schultz, and my uncle, Raymond Kogut. After my dad’s funeral, Tom hugged us and told us he was sorry we had to keep meeting under such circumstances,” she replied.

Day is the founder of Bugles Across America, a nonprofit organization consisting of more than 5,176 buglers ready to perform at funerals across the nation. Day’s buglers range in age from 12 to 101. The only requirement for volunteers is the ability to play the 24 notes of Taps with an ease and style that will honor the veterans. Since the birth of BAA six years ago, Day’s buglers have played an average of 1,000 funerals a month. Dedicated volunteers have performed Taps at funerals of more than 60,000 veterans.

The inspiration for Day’s group began when Congress passed legislation in 2000 stating that veterans had a right to at least two uniformed military people to fold the flag and play Taps on a compact disc player.

“To me, every man and woman who served this country deserves real Taps played on a real horn. I have 5,000 horn players, and all it takes is one click to find one on my computer. And I think that’s a whole lot better than pressing a button and getting a recording,” Day noted.

Day’s clarion call stemmed from his military background and his membership in a neighborhood band.

“I was born and raised in the Civil Air Patrol,” he said. “My father, Col. Joseph E. Day, was a former Marine Pilot. He was a founder of the Civil Air Patrol in Illinois which began in 1941 during World War II. My dad was my hero. Growing up we had three different kinds of airplanes in which we flew. Dad would say, ‘We’re going flying,’ and that’s what we did.”

Day continued, “When I was 7, the biggest activity for kids wasn’t sports. It was the Drum and Bugle Corps. That’s where I got my first cruddy pair of cymbals, which I had to polish all the time. At age 10, I started playing Taps for veterans when the Korean War ended. For me it was the start of Drum and Bugle Disease,” Day quipped.

Day has served as a Marine, a bugler in the Navy Coast Guard and a reserve officer in the JROTC. Currently, he is chairman for the Selective Service for Berwyn where he lives with his wife, Donna, and their daughter Julie. Despite numerous engagements, Day maintains his day job as a mortgage banker.

Bugling has become something of a family affair for Day and his daughter.

“Julie, who has cerebral palsy, is a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts. During her active career, she earned 64 merit badges as well as the Gold Girl Scout Award for playing Taps at 60 funerals with her dad. She impressed the Marines so much that they gave her a whole set of dress blues to wear at funerals,” he said.

Eric Schuller, senior policy advisor for Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, is familiar with Day’s work.

“Lt. Gov. Quinn and I both attend funeral services for fallen members from our state. He brings a level of reverence to military funerals and services. He’s been with us for four years now helping our office. He played at the Gold Star Mother Ceremony in September. He and BAA rendered Taps at the end of our service. He honors those who have given the ultimate sacrifice,” Eric Schuller said.

“To me Taps is not just a song. It’s the hardest 24 notes a horn player can play. To me it’s an emotion. It’s the last moment that family and friends will ever have with their veteran. It’s what they’ll remember for the rest of their lives. I try to make it the best I can,” Day replied.

Clearly, Day is a bugler who never rests on his laurels. In 2005, his BAA set a Guinness Book Record by having 674 buglers playing Taps across a 42-mile stretch of roads in New York. Day and his BAA have been featured on television channels ABC, NBC, PBS and CLTV.

“At 11 a.m. (Saturday) May 19, we will have horn players at every national veterans’ cemetery in the U.S., including Arlington, and we will be playing Taps to honor the four million men and women who have given their lives for their country,” Day said.

For more information, about Day and his buglers, visit his Web site at www.buglesacrossamerica.org.

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