On Armed Forces Day, Saturday May 17, 2008, the solemn tune Taps will be sounded at every National Cemetery and U.S. Veterans Cemetery worldwide at 11:00 am. This tribute to veterans is being called Echotaps and it is expected that over 2,000 buglers will play worldwide.

The public is encouraged to be at Andersonville National Historic Site to witness this unique tribute. Beginning at 10:30 am, cadets of the Marine Corps Junior ROTC unit at East Coweta High School will perform a rifle drill demonstration. Taps will follow at 11:00 am, lead by Andersonville NHS Park Guide John Gray. John is an Army veteran who has sounded taps at numerous funerals for veterans around Southwest Georgia and now works for Andersonville NHS.

The National Park Service maintains fourteen National Cemeteries nationwide. Two of these, Andersonville National Historic Site and Andrew Johnson National Historic Site are classified as active, continuing to bury veterans and their dependents. All National Cemeteries within the National Park Service will serve as host sites for this commemorative event.

Echotaps began in May 2005 as a tribute to the men and women who serve in the United States military and defend our country in times of war and peace. The first cascading rendition of Echotaps was given in upstate New York. Brass players from 30 states lined the roadways between Bath National Cemetery and Woodlawn National Cemetery, a distance of over 40 miles.

Since 1949, the third Saturday in May has been designated as Armed Forces Day. This day honors all those who have served and continue to serve in uniform.