GLEN ROCK, YORK COUNTY - It seems a simple and noble intention: A naval lieutenant commander with 20 years of military service and multiple deployments to combat zones every night plays Taps.

That was the intention Joshua Corney had about 18 months ago when he began to broadcast the traditional military bugle call that marks the end of the day as well as final honors for fallen soldiers from the sprawling yard of his Glen Rock home, which sits high on a hill on top of Glen Avenue.

Since then, every night just before 8 p.m., Corney has been broadcasting the evocative 24-note melancholy bugle call from his backyard, the 57-second musical piece spills across his five acres down toward the scenic valley below.

A few months after he started the nightly ritual, Corney amped up the broadcast and invested in a three-speaker sound system, which is perched on top of a 25-foot post out back. The sound system broadcasts the bugle call at about 60 to 80 decibels.

Now, that ritual has boiled over into controversy that has splintered this quiet borough of 2,200 along York County's southern border, pitting neighbors against each other, with threats and accusations of bullying and intimidation thrown into the mix.

Joshua Corney, of Glen Rock, York County, says he broadcasts Taps nightly from his backyard to offer his community a moment to pause and reflect, and remember fallen soldiers.

Corney, who has done eight deployments, including to Iraq and Afghanistan, stands steadfast by his commitment to continue to do what he says is an overture of honor and remembrance for all fallen soldiers.

Meanwhile, the handful of residents who have complained about the noise - most of them elderly neighbors who live in the immediate vicinity of Corney's house - have backed off their demands that he cease playing the music out of fear for their safety, and in large part, because of the outpouring of rage directed at them.

"I've been in the military for 20 years and throughout my service have done several deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq and I have served in a combat zones ...and at one point I made a promise to God that if He brought me back home safe and sound, I would do something in remembrance of those who had fallen while I was there but also those who have died in past wars and who will die in future wars," said Corney, who at 38 walks with crutches as he awaits another surgery on his knees, which have been damaged from the toll of service. "The sacrifice they make is just so great."

He said he has compromised along the way, notably, six months after he started, moving the speakers to the back of the house and pointing them away from specific homes down the hill.

The issue - which at first he said was a "neighbor to neighbor" issue - for the most part simmered down, that is until about six months ago when a second complaint was brought before the council.

Corney said he tried to work with that individual by adjusting the angle of the speakers and lowering the volume, but the two were unable to reach a resolution. That's when the matter was returned to council, and now, it's a matter of public ordinance: Corney is being charged with violating the borough's noise ordinance.

That judgment is poised to be largely arbitrary.

John Trout, Glen Rock's mayor, said the matter depends on interpretation of the ordinance.

Corney's broadcast lasts 57 seconds, well under the continuous 15-minute framework specified in the borough ordinance (which refers to noise made between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m.). Corney, by the way, says he has taken the decibel readings and that among the highest reading - that of 80 - compares to the noise made by a hair dryer.

According to borough ordinance, the noise ordinance applies to

Any noise or other disturbance that occurs continuously or intermittently for an extended period, which annoys or disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities, including, without limitation,

the loud playing of radios, televisions, amplifiers, and other sound devices so as to be heard beyond the boundaries of the Property from which that same shall emanate....

Trout, who lives about a half mile away from Corney, said he can hear the bugle call when he is outside on his deck - but not inside his house.

"It doesn't bother me," he said. "I hear it very faintly. I'm not a next door neighbor. I don't know if I would be able to have that if I lived next door."

Victoria Ribeiro, a member of the Glen Rock Borough Council, scoffs at Corney.

For starters, Ribeiro, who agreed to speak on behalf of the residents who had lodged complaints about Corney's nightly ritual, says he turned what should have been a matter between neighbors - or at the very least an affair for the 2,200-strong borough to address - into something that has garnered the attention of tens of thousands of people, some even across the country.

"Just the outcry was so unreasonable and lacking in empathy," she said, referring to the outrage that Corney's social media posts garnered. "These folks were terrified."

Not long after Corney posted an appeal on Facebook asking for support as he prepared to defend his ritual before borough council, the Glen Rock residents who had lodged the complaints were ostracized by residents, and even non-residents, Ribeiro said.

She said that in some social media posts, those residents were told that they should lose a family member or have someone come to their window to blast noise. Those posts have since been deleted, she said.

"It's not blatantly threatening but when 500 people with a mob mentality are telling you that you are unpatriotic and unAmerican... they were scared. These are older folks. They mind their business. They wanted to compromise with their neighbor," Ribeiro said.

Ribeiro on Wednesday night was prepared to speak on behalf of the disgruntled residents at the borough council meeting, which had on its agenda the Corney situation. She said the residents - one of whom is a widow whose husband was a veteran, and the other a woman whose husband, a veteran, is ill and has dementia -- now do not want the publicity that coming forward would bring.

Council at the last minute scrapped the item from its agenda.

Ribeiro said the residents, both of whom have lived for more than 20 years in the borough, were essentially silenced. A small-business owner, Ribeiro said she is even concerned about her own safety. She said Corney is not listening to his neighbors, nor does he care.

"I don't think that's how a serviceman should behave," she said. "I don't think that's how a real soldier should behave. This is not a military base. This is not a church bell.. it's not a train whistle that serves a public safety purpose or a police siren."

Trout, a veteran with more than 40 years of service, said he has mixed feelings about the matter.

"I understand the meaning of Taps and why he is playing it. I'm very appreciative of it," said Trout, a retired colonel from the Pennsylvania National Guard. "I have mixed feelings... I'm a veteran so I understand the meaning behind Taps. I was a chaplain. I did a lot of burials. I understand why Josh is doing it...but I'm also sensitive to people's needs. There probably needs to be some kind of compromise."

John McLaughlin, who lives down the road from Corney, scoffed at the idea that anyone would object to the Taps tribute.

"Just because one person doesn't like it we have to stop? What the heck," he said. "That's not democracy."

He said if Corney is forced to stop playing the call, the neighbors will take it upon themselves to take turns playing it every night.

"It's only 60 seconds," McLaughlin said.

Mike Patria, who lives a few doors from McLaughlin, said he appreciates Corney's effort, but he also understands the other side.

"It's soothing. I enjoy it. It makes me take a moment and think of how fortunate I am," said Patria, a 20-year Navy veteran. "I also see the other side. For some people it's a soothing song. It's a soothing moment, a quiet moment to reflect but for some other people it can bring them back to a very dark place. For some veterans that have been in wars that have been scarred in wars that song can bring a very dark moment. For others who have lost a loved one this may have been the last thing they heard before they buried a loved one. Hearing that song can bring them back to a moment in life that wasn't a very good time. I know both sides of the coin. I can understand both sides."

Corney, a father of six, said he is overwhelmed with the outpouring of support from residents and nonresidents. He said that's the reason he drummed up support - to show appreciation, and his own support - for people who have embraced the Taps ritual from his yard.

Residents routinely stand on his driveway, some in tears. They shake his hand; some send letters.

"I felt a need to let Glen Rock and other communities know what was to take place," Corney said. "I have served overseas to fight for their freedoms back here and I needed their help to help me fight for something that I feel they have embraced and that they want in my community."

Corney said it was never his intent to have anyone threatened or bullied.

"If someone chooses to do something, I can't control that... you stand up for what you think is right and people should be held accountable for their actions," he said. "... it's almost like terrorism. Should I not do something because of a fear of someone's action?"

He said he is prepared to seek legal help if he is forced to cease playing the bugle call - and also prepared to drum up support to cover the cost of the daily ordinance penalty, which is $250.

Update: This article has been updated to clarify that Corney has completed eight total deployments, including to Iraq and Afghanistan. He stresses that his personal views do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Defense nor the Department of the Navy.