'Taps' was played at my dear Dad's burial ceremony this morning;

[elleng]

it was very moving. We received the flag that had covered his casket.

Dad passed on peacefully Sunday morning, after 98 full years. He served in the Navy, as a legal officer in Hawaii, during World War II, after Pearl Harbor.

I want to let DUers and friends know you may want to consider this. My folks had planned years ago to be buried in a National Cemetery.

EG

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My deepest condolences to you, my dear elleng, on your beloved father's passing...

It is a heavy loss.

And good for your parents, for planning this so many years ago. It can really reduce the stress of his dying by relieving his family of this decision.

[badtoworse]

2. I am sorry for your loss. We owe people like your father a tremendous debt

I know how you must feel. I lost my father last November at age 99. He too served in WW II in the South Pacific and was buried with military honors. It is a moving ceremony.

[joeybee12]

3. I'm so sorry to hear this...but wow...98

Sounds like he had a wonderful life!

[hedgehog]

4. Thanks to your father for his service.

[bigtree]

5. so sorry for your loss, Ellen

My mom and dad's remains are buried in Arlington.

Taps is always a touching and emotional tribute. At my father-in-laws funeral in the shadow of the hills of Rocky Gap, his friend, the reverend, remarked on the passage 'God is near', God is near, that's heard in the song's mourning refrain. Best wishes to you and your kin.

[MineralMan]

6. My condolences to you.

We should all live to be 98, and have let a fine life. My father in law was buried in the National Cemetery here in the Twin Cities, with military honors. It is, indeed, moving. He died at 87.

[msanthrope]

7. I am very sorry for your loss, ellen, and thank your father for his service. nt

[ProSense]

8. My condolences

Wow, 98 years is an amazing life.

May your Dad RIP.

[Uncle Joe]

9. It sounds like your daddy did live a full life and saw many changes.

Thanks for sharing elleng, peace and healing to you.

[renate]

10. I'm so sorry for your loss

How proud of him you and your family must be.

After so many years it must be so incredibly strange and sad to not have your dad with you any more... I'm glad his passing was peaceful and I hope you are okay.

[bluesbassman]

11. My condolences elleng.

We did the same for my dad and it was very moving. He served in the Aleutian Islands Campaign and the Battle of Kwajalein. I had my then 14yr old son rise to receive the flag. He told me later that it was the proudest moment in his life.

[UTUSN]

12. Condolences. n/t

[BeHereNow]

13. Love to you elleng.

I know my dad and mom will not be here much longer- I can't imagine the loss
you must feel, but I can tell you that you are loved by this member of your DU family.
BHN

[Octafish]

14. Please accept my condolences and deepest sympathies.

We all owe our freedom to your father. I am infinitely in his debt and to all our nation's veterans.

My grandfather was an Army captain in World War II. My dad is a Navy veteran, a lieutenant.

And with you and yours, elleng, they mean the world to me.

[hootinholler]

15. My sincere Condolences

[wendylaroux]

16. I am so sorry for your loss,

and I am very proud of your father! My dad-1926-1998-was Navy also,Korea,WW2. I know the sadness and pride you are feeling. The best to you and your family.

[riderinthestorm]

17. I am so sorry for your loss ellen. nt

[polly7]

18. I'm so sorry, elleng.

May your Dad rest in peace.

[xxqqqzme]

19. So sorry for your loss. Most kind

of you to pass the advice along.

My father dies 2 years ago and his ashes are at the National Cemetery in Riverside CA. He served in the Navy in the south Pacific during WWII. The internment service is very moving. When taps was played at his memorial service, I don't think there was a dry eye in the chapel.

[cbayer]

20. I am sorry for your loss, elleng, but glad your had your father for so long.

[malaise]

21. Deepest sympathy

Losing a dad is hard no matter his age.

[AtomicKitten]

22. Condolences on your loss.

98 years is a long full life.

[Mnemosyne]

23. I am so sorry for the loss of your father, Ellen. 98 years?! The history he had seen.

[Wait Wut]

24. 98

He must've one of those stubborn military men.

My parents are buried in a Nat'l Cemetery, as well. My father had a beautiful, respectful and non-religious ceremony.


I wish you the best Elleng.

[FLyellowdog]

25. Please accept my condolences.

[rug]

26. That was a chilling moment at my father's funeral.

Though he lived a good, long life, there is no escaping the loss. I'm sorry for yours.

[zipplewrath]

27. There are lyrics

Taps has lyrics. You rarely hear them sung:

Day is done, gone the sun
From the lakes, from the hills, from the sky
All is well, safely rest
God is nigh.

Fading light dims the sight
And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright
From afar, drawing near
Falls the night.

Thanks and praise for our days
Neath the sun, neath the stars, neath the sky
As we go, this we know
God is nigh.

[sabrina 1]

28. I am sorry Elleng n/t

[PoliticAverse]

29. May he rest in peace. n/t

[myrna minx]

30. May he rest in peace.

[southernyankeebelle]

31. Wow 98 yrs old. I have to tell you am envious. God bless him. My dad was in the

military for 22 yrs. He had a military funeral. He was buried at Arlington National. I have seen many of military funerals. While my husband served at Ft Meade, Md I worked at the chapel were many a funeral takes place. I have had the fortune of going to Arlington. They have one of the most beautiful little chapels I have ever seen and I have seen a lot of chapels. I got to meet many of the guards while we had to wait for a funeral to finish. I mean these people are all professionals. The priest didn't know my dad but when he talked to us you thought he knew him well. The gravesite ceremony and the playing of taps stirs your heart. My dad, your dad and many dads and moms get a great send off. Well deserved. My father-in-law was lucky that a funeral detail came from Ft Campbell to our little rural town. Many people here don't see something like this often. We usually have retired old soldiers playing the taps. It isn't the same. My father-in-law said he wanted the military funeral and we made sure he got it. It was so lovely.

May the grace of god be with you.

[PatSeg]

32. 98 years of living

That's amazing. Good to know his passing was peaceful.

[kestrel91316]

33. 98 - what a remarkable life! The only ancestor I know of in my family

was the old Amish guy who was born in about 1776 and passed away in the 1880's.

Sorry to hear about your loss. But he had a full life - we should all live as much.

[barbtries]

34. my sympathies

for your loss, elleng

[B Calm]

35. When I hear Taps, I always lose it. Sorry

for your loss, but be thankful that he did have a long life.

A few years ago we had my dads funeral at a National Cemetery in Illinois, he lived to be 88. He was a WW2 Army infantry veteran who fought in some nasty battles in Europe. He spoke 5 different languages and was used as translator on the front lines.

Since I'm a Vietnam Era veteran, my wife and I plan to be buried in the same cemetery.

[kentuck]

36. Sorry to hear of your loss...

It sounds like he lived a full and meaningful life.

[enlightenment]

37. My condolences, elleng.

My father passed in December, at 89. After debating it for some years, he decided not to be buried with a military service or even be buried at all, choosing instead to have his ashes scattered in the mountains that he loved so well.

My mother chose the same path last March, so somewhere in the winds they are together.

The military makes it pretty easy to arrange, had they wanted that type of service. We still received a flag from the Air Force after we notified them of dad's death, with a very touching letter of condolence and thanks for his 32 years of service. It was very gracious.

[cal04]

38. I'm so sorry for you loss

My thoughts are with you and your family

[Ruby the Liberal]

39. I am sorry for your loss, Ellen.

[yellerpup]

40. So sorry you lost your daddy.

The ceremony sounds very moving. I wish you peace in your heart and lovely memories to blunt your grief. Peace.

[CTyankee]

41. I have sent you an email, ellen.

My thoughts go out to you...

[LoisB]

42. So sorry for your loss but glad you had him for so long. I salute him for his military service.

[babylonsister]

43. elleng, my sincere condolences to you and yours.

[one_voice]

44. My condolences to you and your family!

[H2O Man]

45. I'm sorry about your loss,

although I'm glad that your Dad lived a long and meaningful life. He sounds like the type of role model our society needs. I know that you are proud of him, as you should be. And I feel safe in saying that he must have thought mighty highly of you. I always enjoy your contributions to this forum, and bet that your calm and rational manner are, in part, from his DNA and his example.

Peace unto you.

[Stinky The Clown]

46. Sincere condolences

A live lasting 98 years is nothing less than remarkable. Celebrate your Dad.

[12AngryBorneoWildmen]

47. My Dad was also born in 1914,

a Lt. Officer in the Navy, and in Hawaii for WW II. Told me he ran bootleg "Five Islands" hooch ala McHale's Navy. Been gone more than 10 years.

[whathehell]

48. My condolences, Elleng....My dad, was also a navy man and a veteran of WWII.

and like you, I loved him dearly

[mrmpa]

49. My Dad is buried in the National Cemetery 12 miles from our home............

Mom will also be buried there. My parents had only plans that they would be cremated. They had purchased a niche in a local Catholic Cemetery (the National Cemetery wasn't yet in place). When Dad died, the Catholic cemetery wanted over $600 to open the niche. My Mom balked, as they had paid about $2000 for a spaces on a shelf. The opening would have consisted of placing a key into the lock and sliding the glass door.

We had Dad's urn in the house from 2000-2006, when the National Cemetery opened. I contacted the cemetery made arrangements to bring my Dad's urn to the cemetery. There was a ceremony with 2 active duty Marines, who folded the flag and gave it to Mom. There was also 12 former Marines, who gave my Mom several mementos of my Dad's service, e.g. a wine glass with the Marine Corps Seal on the bottom (we always place this on the table at holidays), and a beautiful letter that showed research had been done on my Dad's service as it mentioned his Korean War Service and being one of the frozen Chosin. Dad was in the Marines for 14 years.

I'm sorry about your Dad, but he's among the men and women who didn't balk and served. I recommend going to the cemetery on Memorial Day, the services are wonderful.

[nadinbrzezinski]

50. my deepest

[Spoonman]

51. The sound of "taps"

will forever have a new meaning to you.

I served in the US Army for 4 years, and for one year was part of the Ft. Meade funeral detail.
As a rifleman, myself and my team performed over 200 military funeral services.

I never gave much thought to the bugle-man that always stood behind a tree.

I lost my mother the day after Thanksgiving last year.
Her death was sudden and unexpected.
My father was in poor health and without his wife of 52 years, he refused to keep struggling.
He passed on Jan 12th of this year, 47 days after my mother.

I held it together throughout the whole ordeal. Everyone around me was crying and unable to function.
My older brother and older sister could not handle making the arrangements, so I dealt with all of it.
My father served in the Korean war as a cryptologist in the Air Force.
He was very proud to have served his country and so I arranged for a graveside military service.
Like I said, I held it together for 47 days, until I heard the bugle playing "taps"..........

You have my deepest condolences.

[cate94]

52. I am sorry for your loss.

May he rest in peace.

[applegrove]

53. So sorry for your loss.

[lunatica]

54. Dearest elleng

A tear came to my eye just thinking of how it must have sounded. You and your family have my best wishes right now. It must have been quite a moving ceremony.

[onethatcares]

55. my dad passed two weeks ago, he was navy also

a radio operator on a PBY after pearl harbor. The full military honor service was at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery.

Taps was played, the 21 gun salute was fired, my mom received the flag from a grateful nation along with three bullets for duty, honor, country.

I respected his service, mine was in the Army. We didn't know each other, which is a loss for both of us.

Take care on the rest of your life journey and may you have peace.

[pacalo]

56. I'm sorry for the loss of your dad, elleng.

[Generic Other]

57. Sorry elleng

[roguevalley]

59. Bless you and your family. Your dad was Greatest Generation to the end.

[Lugnut]

60. I'm so sorry for your loss, elleng.

My dad left us in 1982 and I still miss him.

[eridani]

61. What a wonderful full life!

Knowing that, of course, doesn't make the missing any easier.

[calimary]

62. My condolences, elleng.

That brief flag ceremony is so elegant and dignified. My father-in-law's casket was covered by a flag in honor of his service in World War II, and it was so touching when the folded flag was handed to my grieving mother-in-law. Just tore all our hearts up.

Much love and comfort to you, elleng. All our sympathy.

[maddezmom]

63. sorry for your loss Ellen

thoughts are with you and your family.

[Jawja]

64. So sorry for your loss

[LiberalEsto]

65. Condolences to you on your loss, elleng

[Rowdyboy]

66. I'm so very sorry to hear this-though 98 full years is pretty outstanding....

Losing a parent at any age hurt. May you and your family find consolation.