Upper St. Clair Man Honors Nation's Fallen Soldiers With Taps Across America Performance

UPPER ST. CLAIR, Pa. (KDKA) -- Several times this week, sometimes multiple times a day, an 80-year-old man from Upper St. Clair walks into his tiny music rehearsal space, breaks out his favorite brass piece and hones his skills on the horn.

"I just practice as much as I can. It gets harder the older you get," said Donald Taylor.

Eleanor Taylor, Don's wife, told KDKA, "When he comes down, he always says, 'I didn't sound too good.' And I say, 'Yes, you do.' I have to build him up a little bit."

While he has mastered the trumpet for more than 70 years, Donald has been tuning up for his most important show of the spring. It's his encore performance for the second year of Taps Across America.

"It can bring tears to your eyes. We always say 24 notes. And it's over in 30 seconds, but it can be pretty meaningful," said Donald.

And on Monday at 3 p.m., before dozens of neighbors circled around his driveway, his honor for our fallen service members did not fall flat. He received a standing ovation from the audience and even some handshakes.

While he was the shining star of his street on Monday, Donald told KDKA, "It's just my way of giving back. It's what I do."

And that's what Taps Across America is all about, bringing people together, in harmony, while paying respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

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