KEMPNER, Texas — The somber tones for America's fallen heroes is heard through the beautiful sounds of Jennifer Fitzgerald's cornet.
"It's such an honor, it's such a privilege, it's the last respect paid to someone," Fitzgerald said of Taps, the song played at military funerals.
Fitzgerald said she's been playing the instrument since she was in the fifth grade. She said it's been an emotional outlet and when she joined the Army band at 17, she played it whenever someone asked her.
Fitzgerald was asked to play it during the Memorial Day ceremony in Kempner on Monday morning and couldn't refuse.
"Every time I play Taps, I say a prayer prior to playing," she said. "I ask God to bless me and my music so that it will touch the people around me."
Fitzgerald said she's very patriotic and believes this is one of the ways she can continue to give back to the community and her country. She said every soldier deserves a playing of live taps, not a recording.
"I'm here to serve and I get teary-eyed just talking about it, but God's led me to give of my talent, I'm not the most talented but I give what I can," she said.
Every chance she's asked to play she does so and she just hopes that people who hear it, feel it, and know that freedom isn't free.
"Lives are lost so that we can live the way that we want to live and do the everyday things that we want to do," Fitzgerald said. "A lot of people take things for granted, simple things for granted and we need to remember there's a cost for our freedoms."
Fitzgerald is also a member of The Heights Band, who will host a free patriotic concert on July 1, at Harker Heights High School at 7 p.m. She said they will be honoring the military of Central Texas. Attendees are asked to wear red, white and blue.