HOUSTON — At exactly 3 p.m. on Memorial Day afternoon, retired U.S. Army Captain Jim Shields sat on the porch of his West University home with a tuba.
Then he began to play Taps.
"It's children that we send to war," Shields said. "We had no idea what we were doing over there in Vietnam. Yet, we were there."
Shields reflected on the friends he grew up with who went to war. Some of them never made it back home.
On Monday, he played as a tribute to them and the others lost in battle.
"It’s the first time I’ve played Taps, ever," Shields said. "Nobody has any requirements for the tuba.”
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The pandemic quashed plans for public Memorial Day ceremonies this year, and most spent the holiday inside of their homes.
CBS correspondent Steve Hartman had an idea.
Last week he suggested horn players across the country step outside of their homes at exactly 3 p.m. and play Taps, calling it "Taps Across America."
The idea was a success, and brass musicians participated from coast to coast.
KHOU 11 asked viewers in the Houston area to send video from their neighborhoods. Professional musicians, amateurs, teens, seniors, men and women of every background sent us their videos.
“What it means is how powerful music is and what a strong emotional response it is," Shields said. "So what we need right now is as much music as we can muster.”