'Taps' controversy: Song rings out over Glen Rock, greeted with applause

Joel Shannon
York Daily Record
Joshua Corney stands for a portrait outside his Glen Rock home in 2015. Corney, a lieutenant commander, was serving his 18th year in the U.S. Navy and had recently moved his family to Glen Rock, where he grew up. Until recently, Corney had played a recording of "Taps" outside his home every evening just before 8 p.m. in remembrance of military service members.

Glen Rock Borough Council  is allowing Joshua Corney to play "Taps" from his property on Sundays. So Sunday night at 8 p.m., that's what he did.

After the 57-second song finished, scattered applause from the street could be heard from the front lawn of his property. 

Leighanne Caralle, who runs the Welcome to Southern York County Facebook page, was waiting at the bottom of Corney's drive moments before "Taps" started.

"We just wanted to come out and see for ourselves," she said. Caralle lives in Jacobus and says she's a supporter of Corney's.

Lynne Madison, of Stewartstown, waited in her car for a similar reason: "I wanted to see how loud it was," she commented. 

Although Corney, a U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr., had been playing a recording of the song nightly for over two years, the Borough informed him in a letter Saturday that he was in violation of the borough's noise ordinance. 

Read the background:Backlash might kill effort to end 'Taps' in Glen Rock

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The letter said Corney is allowed to play the song, something he views as a tribute to servicemen and women, on Sundays and on flag holidays.

After receiving the letter yesterday, Corney did not play the song Saturday night. He has plans to petition the borough to allow him to continue daily. He has also started a crowd-funding campaign called "Save Taps for Glen Rock, PA."

On Sunday, Corney said, for the time being, he plans to continue playing "Taps" on Sunday nights and holidays.

Gordon Rago contributed to this report