Tom J. Day Recognized for Work with Bugles Across America

    BERWYN, IL, October 17, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Tom J. Day has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

In a career driven by duty, honor and music, Tom J. Day is esteemed for his dedication to his non-profit organization, Bugles Across America.

The son of a celebrated U.S. Air Force veteran, Mr. Day learned to play "Taps" on the bugle before the age of 10. He gave his first public performance of the iconic bugle call during the reburial of a Civil War veteran in a Chicago cemetery and has remained devoted to performing the bugle throughout his life, in ways a young boy could have never predicted.

At the beginning of his professional journey, Mr. Day prepared for military service in high school by participating in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC). He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps following his graduation and, over the course of eight years, advanced to become the leader of a platoon at Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Parris Island in South Carolina. Subsequently, he thrived as a 12-year member of the Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the United States Air Force. Throughout the next decade, Mr. Day found further success as an instructor with the JROTC. He served in the U.S. Navy for four years before returning to the Marine Corps, where he was eventually promoted to the rank of sergeant. After eight years of active duty, Mr. Day concluded his military service. For his service, he was the recipient of a Congressional Gold Medal, Distinguished Service Award and Marine of the Year Award.

In the 1960s, Mr. Day worked as a precinct captain in Chicago and also excelled as a banker and loan specialist in Palo Alto, California. From 1989 to 2003, he served as a lottery sales representative for the Illinois State Lottery, having also dedicated part of his career to banking, real estate tax consulting and lecturing at the College of DuPage and Stanford University. Mr. Day had previously received a diploma from the Institute for Financial Education, which is affiliated with the American Bankers Association.

In 1999, the U.S. Congress passed legislation that gave military veterans the right to have "Taps" played at their funerals. However, Mr. Day quickly learned that many military families were playing recordings of the song due to the difficulty and cost of securing live buglers. Seeking to give veterans the respect they deserve with a proper military funeral ceremony, he founded Bugles Across America in 2000.

As of 2021, Bugles Across America possesses more than 5,000 volunteers comprised of men, women and children, having played approximately 3,000 funerals per month over the past 21 years, culminating in a total of more than 126,000 funerals. Volunteers who desire to play for Bugles Across America must first pass an initial audition in which they exemplify their skills to play "Taps" the way it has been intended. Due to the growth of Bugles Across America, five U.S. states have implemented new laws that award civic credit to 7th and 8th graders who play "Taps" at military funerals. In Wisconsin, high school students who play "Taps" at military funerals receive $25 towards their college tuition for each performance.

Mr. Day has personally performed "Taps" at more than 500 funerals, as well as at Chicago's Desert Storm Parade in 2002 and the World Cup Parade in 1994. Featured among several media outlets, Mr. Day and Bugles Across America have been included in the Cape Cod Times, The Wall Street Journal and Scouting Magazine. Likewise, he and his group have performed before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1996, as well as at several sports games for the Chicago Bulls, Chicago Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago Fire and Chicago Packers.

To attest to his honorable success, Mr. Day received a Certificate of Appreciation for Community Service by the Daughters of the American Revolution and a Certificate of Appreciation from the Montclair-Lucania Funeral Home in 2004, having also been named Man of the Year by Sons of the Union in 2001. Earlier, the Daughters of the American Revolution bestowed upon him a Medal of Honor in 1996 and, that same year, he was named a Knight by the Royal Order of St. Joachim. Impressively, Mr. Day was recognized by the Government of Austria with a Gold Medal for Achievement in 1994. He has also earned several Congressional Gold Medals and Distinguished Service Awards.

In addition, Mr. Day received a recommendation letter from the former director of the Department of Veteran Affairs, Gill Gallo, at the Abraham National Cemetery, as well as additional recommendation letters from U.S. Senator Richard J. Durbin, former treasurer of Illinois, Judy Baar Topinka, and community service chairperson of the Swallow Cliff chapter of the Illinois Daughters of the Revolution, Ruth Williams, among other prominent individuals. To add to his professional highlights, Mr. Day was former President Barack Obama's bodyguard and personally knew former President Ronald Reagan from his time in real estate, for whom he performed "Taps" following his death.

Mr. Day attributes a great deal of his success to his genuine love for all Americans, regardless of ethnicity or belief systems. In the coming years, he intends to continue showing his gratitude to veterans and honoring the legacy of his father, who notably pursued his goals with the utmost determination. Ultimately, Mr. Day wishes to do whatever he needs to bring happiness and pride to the families of veterans and for the legacy of Bugles Across America to live on for decades to come.

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