What is reveille?

Search: reveille

Why: In this thread on reddit (about a guy whose ex-fiancee is already with a new guy, so he wants to join the military):

Once you realize it, you're 8 months in and there's no going back. I used to say, "I find it difficult to follow the orders of an idiot." In my head of course, because you don't say that shit out loud. Your way to the top (and you will find the police field to be much the same, I assure you) will depend greatly upon your ability to kiss ass. If you have a modicum of intelligence and awareness of self, this will be near impossible for any great length of time.

You DO lose your sense of self outside of the military. Civilians are seen as outsiders who just don't get it (and they don't, but that's a good thing). But you take that resentment and figure out why you don't want to reenlist (for me, I realized that I wanted to go back to college and become a teacher). In fact, you should NEVER get out of the military until you figure out what you want to do next.

What you gain is immeasurable. I learned to bite my tongue. I learned perseverance. Discipline. I learned how to "do it, because it needs to be done". I lost my distaste for being alone. I do not regret my choice to join the Navy for a second. To this day (I've been out since '94), I miss reveille. I miss that everyone was on the same page regarding order and responsibility (for the most part). But it provides a safe place to fall when you feel your civilian world has gotten the best of you. It really does. You have that security and the expectations of doing a job every day, no matter what. You know that people depend on you to do that job, and all the other bullshit in your life becomes a lot less dramatic and important.

Answer: It's that bugle call! This one!

This one!

The name comes from réveillé, French for "wake up."

Source: US Army Bands

The More You Know: But why the bugle? Historically, bugles, drums, and other loud musical instruments were used for clear communication in the noise and confusion of a battlefield. Two more fun facts:

• The bugle developed from early musical instruments made of animal horns; the word "bugle" comes from buculus, Latin for bullock (castrated bull).

And wholly unrelated, but I just learned it the other day:

• The word "avocado" comes from the Spanish aguacate which in turn comes from the Nahuatl word ahuácatl, "testicle" (a reference to the shape of the fruit)