Lone Bugler sees that veterans get final honors on Memorial Day

Bugler pays homage to Civil War lore

By: Cara Latham
   According to legend, in a battlefield near Richmond, Va., in the summer of 1862, Daniel Butterfield, a Union general during the Civil War, lost about 600 men — part of the numerous casualties experienced during the Seven Days Battles. The significant loss of so many men prompted Gen. Butterfield to pay tribute to his fallen soldiers.
   But rather than following the custom of firing three rifles and taking the chance of enemy forces pinpointing his Army’s location, Gen. Butterfield summoned the help of his bugler, Oliver W. Norton, and conducted taps, those 24 sorrowful notes, that to this day, are still played at funerals, wreath-laying and memorial services, according to the Arlington National Cemetery Web site.
   This story is one of the inspirations that retired Army 1st Sgt. Richard Pinter, also known as The Lone Bugler, keeps in mind when lobbying for veterans’ rights. In addition to sharing the history and meaning of taps on Memorial Day, Sgt. Pinter will be including information about the rights to which veterans’ families are entitled when he visits 21 locations in the area.
   Many Americans are unfamiliar with these rights as well, said Mr. Pinter, a resident of Bordentown Township.
   A veteran is eligible to receive a grave marker and free burial in a state or military cemetery, he said. Also, the spouse of a veteran can be buried at that cemetery in the same gravesite, said Sgt. Pinter.
   But he said what bothers him most is that many veterans pass away without receiving final honors at their funeral services, and Sgt. Pinter said he is trying his best to change this. Final honors includes the folding of the flag given to a close family member, usually the spouse of the deceased veteran, and the sounding of taps.
   "I had a real calling and compassion to try to make up for the honors the family doesn’t receive that they should get," he said. "It’s absolutely appalling that a veteran would pass away without receiving them."
   The Lone Bugler will travel to 21 different locations this Memorial Day because 21 also is a number that is symbolic to those in the military — the 21-gun salute is the highest honor rendered only to those who are highly recognized. For example, when a president dies, a 21-gun salute is sounded, said Sgt. Pinter.
   "It’s the highest honor," he said. "That’s why I decided my Memorial Day performances would just be 21 — no more, no less."
   Since his retirement in 2000 after 38 years serving in the military Sgt. Pinter has been playing the bugle on Memorial Day in various locations in the area and giving final honors to veterans that have died. He also performs final honors when a veteran’s family calls him and requests he play the bugle at the veteran’s gravesite, he said.
   Sgt. Pinter said it is not only emotional for the military personnel who perform the ceremonies, but it helps the families as well.
   Sgt. Pinter’s 21 memorial ceremonies include performances at Fort Dix headquarters, by the flagpole at 5 p.m. today (Thursday). He also will perform at the Robbinsville Veterans Monument (at the intersection of Route 33 and Robbinsville Road) at 2 p.m. on Sunday as part of American Legion Post 31 of Hamilton ceremony; and at VFW Post 491, on Fisher Place in Yardville at 11:30 a.m. on Memorial Day.