What About Reveille?

By MARK THOMPSON

Stealth warplanes and smart bombs aren't the only things in short supply at the Pentagon. With 1,800 World War II--era vets passing away every day--and only 500 U.S. military buglers scattered around the globe--there's a shortage of buglers available to play taps at funerals. The Pentagon's solution: a cone-shaped, electronic taps player that hides inside the bell of a standard bugle. Powered by a pair of 9-volt batteries, the all-weather unit emits a high-quality, dutifully mournful rendition of taps. Listeners say it's a big improvement over the tape and CD versions that some vets have had to endure coming from nonmilitary-issue boom boxes. The Pentagon has shipped 50 of the units to Missouri for a six-month test. --By Mark Thompson