He first played "Taps" at a veterans assembly when he was only in 7th grade. When the veterans in the room heard him play, they enlisted him for duty. Since that time, Sunburst, Montana's Wyatt Manthey has played Taps for over 30 different military funerals, and gained national recognition for his service by the American Legion Auxiliary.

Wyatt is now a junior at North Toole County High School. He told me that once he started playing Taps for military funeral ceremonies, his great grandpa wanted to make sure he did it right. He bought him a suit, and an Army regulation trumpet.

We caught up with Wyatt on Tuesday's "Montana Talks" statewide radio talk show. Click below to listen to the interview, or check out our "Montana Talks with Aaron Flint podcast."

Wyatt was featured in a recent story by The Cut Bank Pioneer Press.

“A dream I have had since I started playing started when I heard about a bugler who had passed away and when that happened he didn’t have a live ‘Taps’ player,” said Wyatt. “This was several states away from Montana, but I wished I could have been there. He had honored so many by playing, but didn’t have anybody to do the same for him. I wish that someday and time I would be able to receive a call and travel to any funeral in need of a live ‘Taps’ player.

The Pioneer Press reports that Wyatt received the national recognition from the American Legion Auxiliary as part of their efforts "to recognize girls and boys who demonstrate a kind, caring act of selflessness. Click here for the full story.

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