Lieutenant Patrick Jepsen has played musical instruments for most of his life, picking up a trumpet 15 years ago and a bugle six years ago, but he never anticipated how much attention the bugle would bring.

Learning to play the bugle while enrolled in a Bachelor of Business at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) in Canberra in 2020, Lieutenant Jepsen continued to play on a regular basis throughout his studies, graduating from Royal Military College – Duntroon in 2023 and posting to 3rd Combat Signal Regiment in Townsville.

Last month, while deployed on Exercise Yama Sakura 89, an annual trilateral exercise between the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF), the United States Army and Australian Army, at Camp Itami in Japan, Lieutenant Jepsen trained with the bugler for JGSDF’s Headquarters Middle Army, Sergeant Yumi Itaguchi.

“It’s a really big honour being a bugler in Japan. It was the first time they had seen an Australian bugler take part in their tradition and it was very well received,” he said.

It took some adaptation, as the JGSDF use a different variety of the bugle and play different tunes, but after an afternoon of lessons from Sergeant Itaguchi, Lieutenant Jepsen was given the chance to play the lunchtime bugle call the following day. 

While Australians are used to hearing the bugle during Remembrance Day and Anzac Day commemorations, in Middle Army, the bugle is used to signal meal times in the morning, noon and evening. 

'It’s a really big honour being a bugler in Japan. It was the first time they had seen an Australian bugler take part in their tradition and it was very well received.'

Lieutenant Jepsen was surprised at the reception he received in the days following his lunchtime bugle call.

“The next morning at the generals’ update brief, Commander of the Middle Army Lieutenant General Makoto Endo was talking about an Australian bugler playing their tune,” he said.

“It shows that the bugle over there is a very important part of their culture, and seeing a foreigner learn it was very important to them.”

The JGSDF’s Middle Army public affairs team interviewed Lieutenant Jepsen, and before he knew it, he was on the Middle Army JGSDF’s YouTube and being reposted by the United States Army Japan Facebook page.

By the end of the 10-day exercise he was widely recognised around the base, with people coming up to him to express their appreciation for his efforts.

As much as he enjoyed the experience, Lieutenant Jepsen said what he enjoyed most as a bugler was the quiet moments.                                                                    

“I’d always wanted to bugle the Last Post of Reveille and Rouse on Anzac Day and Remembrance Day – it’s a big privilege,” he said.

“At ADFA, I was fortunate enough to do a lot of playing with the ADFA band for parades, dining-in nights, Anzac Days and Remembrance Days. 

“I’ve also been able to bugle in Malaysia and Singapore as part of my service, which was special, too.”