Indiantown Gap National Cemetery to Host Echo Taps
Saturday, May 26, 2026 | 11:00 AM
Fort Indiantown Gap National Cemetery | 60 Indiantown Gap Road | Annville PA
Families and the public are invited to participate in the annual Armed Forces Day Echo Taps Ceremony at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery (IGNC) in Annville, PA. Sponsored by the Pennsylvania chapter of Bugles Across America (BAA), this year’s ceremony is particularly meaningful because it marks the twentieth anniversary of Echo Taps at IGNC, and it also celebrates our nation’s 250th birthday. This occasion offers a special opportunity for reflection and gratitude, recognizing the sacrifices made by Veterans and commemorating this important milestone in our country’s history.
The ceremony starts at 11:00 a.m. in front of the cemetery’s administration building with a traditional three-volley rifle salute by the Vet 21 Salute Honor Guard of Lancaster, PA. Echo Taps, which is the sequential sounding of Taps throughout the cemetery grounds by a corps of buglers, will immediately follow.
After the Echo Taps ceremony, the buglers will present a musical tribute at the IGNC Pennsylvania Veterans’ Memorial. The program will include remarks from our honored speaker, Chaplain (Colonel) Matthew Atkins of the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, PA.
Family members and friends will be invited to sign a memorial book, dedicating the playing of Echo Taps to loved ones interred at IGNC.
BAA (www.buglesaccrossamerica.org) is a non-profit organization of volunteer buglers who sound Taps live as part of military funeral honors for U.S. military Veterans. Echo Taps was started by Howard T. Reitenbaugh of Huntington, PA who formerly served as a state and national BAA director.