the buzz log

The memorial service that honored the 13 killed in the shooting rampage at Fort Hood invoked many somber military traditions. Here, the meaning behind some of the most common.

Taps
The lone bugle call has been played since the Civil War to musically mourn the fallen. The composer, Union Army Brigadier General Daniel Butterfield wrote it in 1862 to replace the earlier "Extinguished Lights Out," which he thought too formal. The tune became known as "Taps" because the 24 notes can be tapped on a drum when there is no bugler. Although the call originated with the Northern army, the tradition spread to camps in the north and south, and has become the tradition for the armed forces ever since.

Rifle volley
Firing three shots originated from the battlefield. Once the dead were removed, a volley of three shots would be fired to signal that the battle could continue. That's different from a 21-gun salute, which is generally reserved for heads of state.

Boots on display
President Obama spoke in front of the grim reminders of the deceased men and women: Each of the 13 was remembered with a photo, boots, and a helmet atop an inverted gun. According to army lore, helmet and ID tags represent the fallen soldier. The rifle pointed toward the ground notes a break in action to pay tribute to the dead. The combat boots symbolize the soldier's last march.

Commander-in-chief coin
After the president spoke, he and the first lady paid their respects. The president left a commander-in-chief coin for each of the fallen. This is a tradition among military officers but considered the highest honor coming from the commander in chief.

The roll call of the dead — the name is called but there is no response — and a final salute are also invoked to bring some closure for the grieving families. As Obama said in his tribute to the 13 lost on the base, not the battlefield, "They were killed here on American soil ... It's the fact that makes the tragedy ever more painful, even more incomprehensible."

Filed under: Military

A deceptive autumn lull settled on the domestic scene, partly as people tried to dodge H1N1. Amidst all the handwashing, though, tumult remained over health care discussions, Afghanistan policy, and an exciting but perplexing Nobel Peace Prize honor bestowed on a freshman president. Besides headlines and Halloween, the Buzz had time to listen to creepy confessions and flights of fancy. Below, just a bit of the stories—and searches—on Web overdrive.

The Other Kind of Swine
The tale of cheating men is as old as man itself, but yet their shenanigans never fail to rivet...especially when it involves David Letterman, who has taken jabs over the decades at cheaters, and attempted blackmail by a CBS "48 Hours" producer. The host made a "creepy" confession on his show and another apology to offended females this year. The late-night drama made the sex-addiction confession by fired ESPN baseball analyst Steve Phillips seem tame, although he got the boot for canoodling with a 22-year-old production assistant (one of many events that helped end his 19-year-old marriage). Philips entered sex rehab. At this rate, someone might want to start a mobile clinic.

Frolicking Flyboys
Eyes turned to the skies when it seemed an amateur storm chaser's son had accidentally taken off in a helium ballon. The media frenzy was for naught, as the now ironically named Falcon Heene had hid in the rafters, and the whole episode turned out to be a really bad reality-TV audition. No hoax but questions remain over how Northwest Flight 188 pilots overshot their destination by 150 miles and remained incommunicado for 75+ minutes. The cockpit blamed "heated" scheduling discussions and laptop distractions. The FAA called their excuses "a frolic" and suspended them. Passengers can still believe in the skies: Hudson River hero Captain Chesley Sullenberger published his biography this month.

Afghan Course
In the long conflict, October has proven the deadliest for US forces in Afghanistan. General Stanley A. McChrystal has argued for more manpower and, after much consultation with military commanders and civilian advisers, the White House will lay out "broad strategic guidelines" until the Nov. 7 election runoff between President Hamid Karzai and challenger Abdullah Abudullah...even if the challenger boycotts. Reports point to a compromise which follows American history, as Newsweek details in a look back at troop requests since the Revolutionary War.

Filed under: Reality TV, Celebrities, Monthly Wrapup, Hoaxes, Military, Halloween, War, Nobel Prize, Barack Obama, David Letterman, Afghanistan, Wrap Up

Our picks from the day's hottest searches.

• David Thompson (breakout). Michael Jordan, headed to the Hall of Fame on Friday, anointed North Carolina alum "Skywalker" to host his induction.
• Obama School Speech (+581%). No. 44 released his speech in advance and addressed the nation's children today.
• Warrior Mind Training (+289%). Time magazine profiled an Army program out to teach 1.1 million soldiers "the art of mental toughness."
• Uggs (+185%). Ladies are putting away the whites and pulling out the sheepskin boots.
• State Capitals (+125%). It's homework time. Here are some answers: Tallahassee, Frankfort, and Olympia.

Filed under: Sports, Education, Military, Shoes, Barack Obama, Geography