Legislation pending in the General Assembly would give middle and high school trumpet players excused absences if they need to miss class to play Taps at a military funeral. The bill was inspired by Jack Bumann, a senior at Alwood High School in Woodhull, Illinois, just north of Galesburg. He estimates that he has played at the funerals of about two dozen fallen soldiers.
BUMANN: “It really, it hits you when you hear it. You realize what it means and how many times it’s been played for how many different people and it's just part of the nation’s history I guess.”
Bumann’s idea was taken up by State Representative Don Moffitt, a Republican from Gilson, who sponsored the legislation. It was unanimously approved by the Illinois House and now heads to the Senate.
