Vietnam veteran from California plays taps at sunset to honor coronavirus victims who died

WATSONVILLE, Calif. — A Vietnam veteran in California pays tribute to people who have died from the coronavirus, playing taps nightly at dusk.

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Bob Mangels, a former Navy musician from Watsonville, stands in his driveway at sunset and plays taps on his trumpet, KSBW reported.

“What I do is I come out here at sunset every night and play taps for those who have passed away that day,” Mangels told the television station.

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Mangels said he had been looking to volunteer since the pandemic began but was rebuffed.

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“I tried volunteering at the food bank and they said I was too old,” Mangels told the television station. “I’m healthy, I’m happy and I’m capable. This is what I do.”

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So, with 60 years of experience playing brass instruments, Mangels decided on a nightly tribute.

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“I was used as an instrument of war back in Vietnam, and now I can be an instrument for peace," Mangels told KSBW. “Give somebody a little piece of mind after some of their loved ones have passed on. It’s just a way of honoring the life and spirit of those people. It’s something I can do.”