Vietnam veteran from California plays taps at sunset to honor coronavirus victims who died

Taps is played nightly by a former Vietnam veteran at his California home to honor COVID-19 victims who have died.

Taps is played nightly by a former Vietnam veteran at his California home to honor COVID-19 victims who have died.
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By Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
April 11, 2020
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A Vietnam veteran in California pays tribute to people who have died from the coronavirus, playing taps nightly at dusk.

Bob Mangels, a former Navy musician from Watsonville, stands in his driveway at sunset and plays taps on his trumpet, KSBW reported.

“What I do is I come out here at sunset every night and play taps for those who have passed away that day,” Mangels told the television station.

Mangels said he had been looking to volunteer since the pandemic began but was rebuffed.

“I tried volunteering at the food bank and they said I was too old,” Mangels told the television station. “I’m healthy, I’m happy and I’m capable. This is what I do.”

So, with 60 years of experience playing brass instruments, Mangels decided on a nightly tribute.

"I was used as an instrument of war back in Vietnam, and now I can be an instrument for peace," Mangels told KSBW. "Give somebody a little piece of mind after some of their loved ones have passed on. It's just a way of honoring the life and spirit of those people. It's something I can do."

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About the Author

Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk