VOLUME 2 Posting from 8 MAR – 3 MAY 2009 TAPS, TATTOOS, CHANTS & RAPS
 
Compiler’s Note What comes to mind when reading the phrase “Military Tattoos?” For me, it’s the tattoo of an American Indian Chief in complete headdress on my father’s forearm. He was a WWII and Korean War Veteran. He enlisted in the Army when he was eighteen years old, and manned the top turret position of B-25 and B-26 bombers during 23 combat missions launched from Corsica during WWII. After serving five years as an enlisted man in the Army, my father was discharged. In 1952, he re-entered service as an Army officer, serving in Korea as a construction engineer. After leaving active service in 1955, he married my mother, Carol, and drifted from job to job in Chicago and Gary, Indiana, where I was born in 1958. When I was two years, the marriage fell apart. My father punished my mother by keeping my brother, her, and me separated most of our lives. My father served in the Merchant Marine for many years, but was unable to reach retirement. He died homeless a day after his 80th birthday,having lived in his van for several years. I learned of his death several months after. My brother, who served 22 years in the Navy and had also lost contact with our father, filled me in after querying the VA regarding our father’s status. My own enlistment in the Marine Corps in 1977 was an accident of chance. I knew nothing of my father’s military service, but my brother had been in the Navy a year. Knowing that he had found a good job, I decided to try it, too. I was living in my 1964 Rambler American at the time, drifting from job to job in my small Midwestern home town. I met my father only four times in my life, twice in childhood and twice as an adult. I was remember the Korean War through the film footage he showed my mother, brother, and me during a 1967 Christmas visit. The first Christmas my mother, brother, and I spent together after 1967 was in 2002. My father was dead, but we didn’t know it. My brother stood outside my mother’s house and talked about our father, how he had shut my brother out of his life a few months before, how I’d shut him out of my life because of behavioral disorders. I remember his tattoo from our third meeting, which took place in Hawaii in 1981, where I was stationed when the Merchant Marine ship my father was aboard came to port. I hadn’t seen him since 1967. By the time of our meeting in Waikiki, the tattoo was dull and lifeless, the colors faded, the Indian Chief’s profile a blur. But I know it was there on his arm when he died. Inked Military Tattoos are traditional for service members. Receiving one, enduring the pain, is a rite of passage marking the transition from civilian to military mode of thought and action. A Military Tattoo is also a pageant, a show of vitality, strength, and prowess traditional among military forces of the United Kingdom. Here’s more history from the 2009 Birmingham Tattoo page: Facts about the Birmingham Tattoo This year the Birmingham Tattoo celebrates its 20th anniversary. It is well recognised as one of the leading events of its type in Europe, attracting world famous military bands and other performers to The NIA in Birmingham each year. The History of the Tattoo
‘Tattoo’ is the traditional signal, given originally by drum beat, and latterly by bugle or trumpet call, which warned British soldiers to return to their quarters for the night. The innkeepers turned off the liquor taps and the drums continued to beat for half an hour, the during which time the soldiers were allowed to make their way home. The custom developed into a ceremonial performance of military music by massed bands a few hours after sunset. The tradition of including a hymn in the closing stages derives from a custom of the Imperial Army of Czarist Russia, in which their soldiers, conscripted virtually for life from the deeply pious peasant masses, sang a chorale. The custom spread to the Catholic armies of Austria and to the predominantly Lutheran army of Prussia, where the ceremony was developed into an impressive torchlight parade. At the end of the 19th Century, performances by massed regimental bands became popular in the larger garrison towns in Britain, and these, following Continental practice, came to include an evening hymn. Some of the old regiments of the British Army, notably the 10th Hussars, 12th Lancers and Royal Scots Fusiliers, maintained the tradition independently by playing a hymn on Sunday evenings between the two calls which marked the beginning and the end of the Tattoo period. They were known as First and Last Post and were sounded at 9.30pm and l0pm. The Hussars, however, sounded Last Post at 9.40pm, the time of the death of Lord Cardigan who had commanded the Regiment for many years, while the Life Guards sounded the calls outside the barrack gates to commemorate their original function of recalling the soldiers to barracks. In Aldershot, Britain’s largest military station, the ceremony was extended to include the wide variety of displays with which the name is now associated, which have no connection, apart from the music of the bands, with the traditional function of the ceremony. The Present Day
Gradually ‘Retreat’ and ‘Tattoo’ were embellished from time to time adding more drummers and musicians who played cheerful tunes. Bands were sometimes added and ‘Tattoo’ became a display of drums and bands by torchlight to entertain the garrisons, leading to the idea of a ‘Tattoo’ as a military pageant. ‘ Retreat’ has remained a display by a Corps of Drums with bands added on special occasions. It still has a military use - the Queen’s Regulations lay down that guards are to turn out at ‘Retreat’ for inspection by the Guard Commander. ‘Retreat’ is now usually sounded on a bugle in barracks. (Birmingham Tattoo) Tattoo is sounded and Taps is traditionally played aboard U.S. military installations each evening at lights out. Tattoo is sounded about a quarter of an hour before Taps readying personal to hit the rack before lights out. During my twenty years of military service, I’ve heard the short lines played many times. I will never forget lights out in the barracks during recruit training and the four years I served as a drill instructor. After Taps, a lone recruit began singing the Lord’s Prayer. Recruits began joining in rounds, until every recruit in her rack, in every platoon, in each barracks were singing. There is nothing musical to compare with this choir’s performance. My father received a military burial at the National Cemetery at Biloxi, Mississippi. I wasn’t there. Neither was my brother. But I know Taps was played. Bat Rastard reports: These days the Tattoo is either considered a long drum or bugle signal used to summon military to their quarters in the evening or a display of military maneuvers meant as entertainment. In the evenings during the 1600’s, the Tattoo consisted of the military band parading through a garrison town to alert the taverns that it was curfew for the soldiers, the beer taps should be cut off, and the soldiers should return to their quarters. By the 1700’s, troops were living in barracks and not quartered in the villages, and Tattoo became an evening call for troops to return to their barracks and turn out lights. It is thought that the last five measures of the French Tattoo are the basis for Taps (http://www.heartlandtattoo.org/tattoofaq.html. Over the years the Tattoo has grown to become an ‘entertainment’ performed by the military on special occasions. It can consist of merely a band marching and maneuvering or a band and drill team, or even include ‘mock’ battles or military skills demonstrations. Tattoos are mostly performed in Europe, and specifically in England (http://www.militarytattoo.org/). However, the Sunset Parade presented by the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps and the Marine Corps Silent Drill Team at the Iwo Jima Memorial in the Arlington National Cemetery is considered by many to be a Tattoo, and the finest Tattoo in America, if not the world (http://www.mbw.usmc.mil/parade_sunsetdefault.asp). Volume 2 of Milspeak Memo will explore history, meanings, and parallels of Tattoo & Taps, Military Tattoos, inked tattoos, chants and raps through postings by contributors of story, poetry, art, photography, video and miscellany. I will also be compiling the best of the web to present in each post. If you would like to post to Milspeak Memo Volume 2, please send your material to postmaster@milspeak.org. No story is too short, no video too graphic, no photograph too haunting, no personal stance too political (one end of the spectrum or the other) for Milspeak Memo. As always, Milspeak Memo remains dedicated to Freedom of Speech. Materials posted are not censored and cover merely a speck of the vast wealth of information available on the web and in libraries. Remember and Enjoy! Sincerely, Pirate AKA Sally Drumm, AIC #375, GySgt USMC, Retired Compiler Contributing Compilers Bat Rastard AKA F.P. Siedentopf Vlad AKA Dennis Adams http://www.telinco.co.uk/maestromusic/Tattoo2009/Factfile.htmlhttp://www.telinco.co.uk/maestromusic/Tattoo2009/Factfile.htmlhttp://www.telinco.co.uk/maestromusic/Tattoo2009/Factfile.htmlhttp://www.heartlandtattoo.org/tattoofaq.htmlhttp://www.militarytattoo.org/http://www.mbw.usmc.mil/parade_sunsetdefault.aspmailto:postmaster@milspeak.orgshapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1shapeimage_2_link_2shapeimage_2_link_3shapeimage_2_link_4shapeimage_2_link_5shapeimage_2_link_6

To Fill-Up an Empty Page

There will be times when
you must lose your mind
forget all you have learned
to fill-up an empty page.
 
There will be gross stops
and sudden tugs along the way,
places where the words snag
 
like, in Block-City, where you
have to stop and reflect upon
what your writing teacher
 
said at the roundtable when
he frowned at you like a worn-
out, hag-ridden cop, angry
 
because an accident occurred
when you stopped before an
onslaught of tough language
that growled and lurched like
 
a lion in a hive of hyenas.
You confused being a poet
with being a preacher. In
writing, you only save your-
 
self, maybe one, or more
onlookers, if you are lucky.
Write! as if you are the last
 
human left in this broken
world, one, in which you
couldn't allow another to
further wreck, nor to fix.


—Willie James King, Member of the Military Family

Willie is a widely published poet. He resides in Montgomery, AL. His latest book, The House in the Heart, is available at http://www.williejamesking.com or from Amazon.com.

MILSPEAK MEMO VOLUME 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS click on date to go to post POSTED 8 MARCH 2009 MILITARY TATTOOS IN NORWAY, GREAT BRITAIN, AND SCOTLAND TAO OF TATTOO, THE SKINS THEY CARRIED, A TAPS RECORDING YOU WON’T FORGET, AND CHANTS & RAPS FROM THE STATES AND IRAQ PLUS “ALOHA” POSTED 15 MARCH 2009 MTDS 1960-1975, TOMB OF THE UNKNOWNS, THE SENTINELS, THE HONOR GUARD, BELGIAN BUGLERS, AND BAGPIPING TATTOO WOMAN PLUS “TRIPLE M FINDS A FRIEND” POSTED 22 MARCH 2009 PIRATE RIFFS ON THE VICTORY GARDEN AND A LEG OF LAMB, A YELLOW BIRD, AND THE WHISPERING WIND PLUS “JAMBA” POSTED 29 MARCH 2009 A VISIT TO SYRACUSE AIRPORT, ONE DAMN SPECIAL KNIFE, FOUR OFFICERS, CONTAMINATED WATER, A HAWK COMMANDER REMEMBERS VIETNAM, PHOTOS OF MONKEY MOUNTAIN SAVED FROM A DUMPSTER AND THEN SOME! PLUS “STASH GUARD” POSTED 05 APRIL 2009 ON PALM SUNDAY, HENRY AVIGNON’S TREES LISTEN, GHOSTS ARE REAL, A WORLD WAR I & II FLYING ACE IS REMEMBERED, THE DIRTY DOZEN RIDE AGAIN, A MAJOR WITNESS TO THE EVOLUTION OF THE MACCS SHARES HIS TRUTH, and VETERANS-FOR-CHANGE SHARE THEIR MISSION PLUS “ELKE” POSTED 12 APRIL 2009 EASTER SUNDAY POSTED 19 APRIL 2009 MCWS 9, SCARS ON MY HEART, FORGOTTEN WARS, GALLOWS GOODBYES, AND MORE PLUS “MONKEY DIVISION” POSTED 26 APRIL 2009 REPOSTED 3 MAY 2009 Short and Sweet IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, A PRAYER, AN HONOR, A COIN, THREE LETTERS & ETX. PLUS “A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS” AND “SWINE FLU BUDDIES” VOLUME 2: POST COMPLETE Share your comments on the post at the mcws blog SUBMISSIONS: Send to postmaster@milspeak.org Contact: postmaster@milspeak.org Disclaimer: The appearance of hyperlinks or logos does not constitute endorsement of Milspeak, Milspeak Memo, or linked sites, or the information (written and graphic), products, or services contained therein, by the Department of Defense, any other government agency or office. Written content and graphics on the pages within this website, whether submitted by members of the Writer’s Gallery, by contributors, guest writers, or by those posting to the Milspeak Memo feature, represent the thoughts and opinions of the writers & artists. Written and graphic content does not reflect the position or opinion of any organization, institution, or person other than the artist. Whether the content is written or visual, it is presented as submitted by the writer or artist, modified only as to format and font. MILSPEAK FOUNDATION does not engage in political activity, although writers and artists may present political opinions. Enjoy! Contributors retain all rights to their works. ©2009 MILSPEAK FOUNDATION OOHRAH!PRODUCTIONS  post complete Purchasing a MilSpeak Books title supports MilSpeak Foundation. Milspeak Books are available at MilSpeak Books on Smashwords! Enter coupon code CC74X at checkout to receive a free copy of the MilSpeak anthology. VII-3-08-09.htmlVII-3-15-09.htmlVII-3-22-09.htmlVII-3-29-09.htmlVII-4-05-09.htmlVII-4-12-09.htmlVII-4-19-09.htmlVII-4-26-09.htmlhttp://milspeakcreativewritingseminars.blogspot.com/Submissions.htmlmailto:postmaster@milspeak.orgmailto:postmaster@milspeak.orghttps://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7659MilSpeak_Anthology.htmlhttp://www.clmp.org/shapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1shapeimage_3_link_2shapeimage_3_link_3shapeimage_3_link_4shapeimage_3_link_5shapeimage_3_link_6shapeimage_3_link_7shapeimage_3_link_8shapeimage_3_link_9shapeimage_3_link_10shapeimage_3_link_11shapeimage_3_link_12
a day late and a dollar...