Taps at Twilight
For many, Memorial Day is a day of celebration, filled with picnics and family gatherings that mark the beginning of summer. Since 1991, the Rotary Club of St. Simons Island has quietly done its part to preserve the true meaning of the solemn occasion. Taps at Twilight is Memorial Day tradition that the Rotary Club began as an annual observance honoring the men and women who have fallen in the service of our country, those who valiantly served, and those who are serving today. The ceremony is remarkably well-attended, with the lawn behind the Casino Building filled from Neptune Park picnic area to the pier. Many Veterans wear hats or shirts denoting the branches in which they served, while other attendees don patriotic red, white, and blue. Small flags handed out by the Boy Scouts flutter in the ocean breeze. It is quite a sight to behold.
Taps at Twilight Committee Chairman Jerry Schueneman says the Taps at Twilight tradition came about because there are so many retired military service members in the Golden Isles. How the Rotary Club of St. Simons Island became the organization that took up the mantle for the event remains a mystery however. What is clear is that the Rotary Club is proud to hold the honor of presenting the remembrance as a free community service and appreciates the enthusiastic reception it receives.
Funding for Taps at Twilight comes from the Rotary Club’s Flag Committee. The committee donates funds and promotes patriotism by supplying flags and support to patriotic organizations. It fully funds the costs of Taps at Twilight and additionally supplements the club's financial support to numerous local not-for-profit organizations. The Flag Committee is supported by the purchase of flags by Glynn County, City of Brunswick, Sea Island Company, SEGA Health System, local banks and businesses, residents and friends.
The Memorial Day evening program includes patriotic music, the posting and retirement of the colors by MJROTC members from Glynn Academy and Brunswick High, a memorial wreath presentation with a bagpipe procession, the National Anthem, an Armed Forced Medley, and the closing with the emotional bugle call of Taps. Distinguished speakers for the event in recent years have included Major General Larry S. Taylor, USMC, Ret., former commander of the Marine Corps Reserve Support Command; General Carl E. Mundy, Jr., USMC, Ret., former Commandant of the Marine Corp and president and chief executive officer of the United Services Organization; former U.S. Senator and Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, Sam Nunn. This year’s event takes place on Monday, May 26, and the guest speaker will be Georgia Governor Nathan Deal.
A focal point of the area where Taps at Twilight takes place is Veteran’s Walk, the brick walkway which surrounds the flagpole in front of the bandstand at Neptune Park. This memorial pays tribute to men and women serving or who have served in the armed services during times of war and peace. Engraved bricks can still be purchased through the Rotary Club of St. Simons Island to honor the courage and commitment of family members, friends, and loved ones.
From the opening notes played by the band through the haunting notes of the bagpipe, the rousing armed forces anthems, to the final call of Taps from the trumpet, Taps at Twilight is a stirring tribute to those who have served and continue to serve our country. The Rotary Club of St. Simons Island deserves to be proud of its contribution to the community. This St. Simons Island Memorial Day tradition promises to live on for many years to come.
For more information about the 2014 Taps at Twilight program, the Flag Program, and Veteran’s Walk brick purchase, visit ssirotary.org.
