Photo courtesy of Tom Pirnstill
By Pat Maurer
Correspondent
Floyd Schmid, of Farwell, is one of the few World War II veterans left. As a special tribute on Memorial Day Monday morning, Mr. Schmid was honored during the ceremonies conducted by the Sparta Esterline VFW Post 3039 Commander Bill Geyer at the Farwell Village Park.
Floyd served in the U. S. Army in Europe, arriving in Scotland on the USS Queen Elizabeth in 1944, and traveling from there to England France and finally Germany where he spent most of the time while he was oversees. He returned back to the United States in 1945.
Geyer, who was the Master of Ceremonies at the Memorial Day event gave the initial introduction and a history of the VFW.
The Farwell High School Band performed the Star Spangled Banner and a prayer was given by Dennie Wissinger VFW Quartermaster.
Commander Geyer also gave a history of TAPS, which was played to end the event by Jacob Dickinson, a Junior at Farwell High School and a member of the high school band. He was accompanied by Laney Stover, a freshman who is also in the high school band.
According to the Internet, the origins of “Taps,” dates back to the American Civil War when U.S. General Daniel Butterfield reworked an existing bugle call used to signal the end of the day. His brigade bugler Private Oliver Wilcox Norton played the 24-note tune and it quickly spread throughout the Army, even to the Confederates. It was first played for a funeral for a Union cannoneer killed in action.
It is believed that the name “Taps” came from the previous lights-out call followed by three drum beats, called the “Drum Taps,” and finally simply “Taps.”