I give back to my community, and I have more fun than you can imagine in the process.

I am a servant of the public servants. I am a drummer in the Newport News Police Pipes and Drums.

I had been a pipe band drummer for several years before moving to the area, and I was delighted to see that Hampton Roads had two active bands: Tidewater Pipes and Drums (in which AltDaily contributor Jim Roberts is the Pipe Major) and the Newport News Police Pipes and Drums. Both were great options, but I ultimately found myself drawn to the Newport News Police. I attended a practice and knew immediately that I had found my new band home with this public service organization. Little did I know at the time, but being involved with the community in this unique way would bring me a sense of pride and civic responsibility that I had never before felt.

Representing Hampton Roads

Since it’s inception in 2003, the mission of the NNPP&D has been “To Honor the Fallen.” As terrible as it is for me to say, I had personally not really thought about the sacrifices made by our first responders. I am not one of them, nor have I ever had much need of their services. Of course they are protecting us without our even knowing it, but it isn’t really something most people think about. I was one of those people, but I am not anymore. It really started to sink in a few weeks after I joined the band when I played at the funeral for a firefighter in Chesapeake, and I have thought about it a lot since.

People have asked me why the bagpipes are so closely tied to police and fire departments. The reason, historically, is that early Celtic immigrants to the US were unable to get honest work in less dangerous professions. Perhaps you’ve seen kitschy plaques in Irish pubs that say “Irish need not apply.” It seems humorous now, but the Irish were the target of serious discrimination in big cities during peak times of immigration. They were able to get work as police and firemen, however, and when an officer was killed it was natural to bring this Celtic tradition to the funeral. They were dying for a thankless public that would not hire them for anything else, and the tradition of pipes for the fallen has been maintained to this day.

Unlike in some bands, where being a member of the police force is a requirement, the musicians in the Newport News Police Pipes and Drums are not all police officers. We have police, firemen, a lawyer, retired and active duty military, retired CIA, and even a couple of guys like me who make our living snuggled under the warm blanket of academia. Pipe bands often make strange bedfellows. Other than the music we produce together, the one tie that binds us is our desire to give back to those who serve our community. We do so not only though funerals and memorials, but through community involvement. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and in the past year have given out turkeys to underprivileged at Thanksgiving, raised money for the St. Baldric’s Foundation, played a benefit for the Nightingale Air Ambulance Service, and played scores of community events. We are not financially supported by the Newport News Police Department (your tax money is not going to the bagpipe band), but they are gracious enough to allow us to be affiliated with the department and let us practice at the station every week. It is an honor for us to be associated with the NNPD.

The weekend of May 13-15 I attended my first Police Week in Washington, DC. For one week every year, police officers from all over the country converge for a period to reflect and honor those who were killed in the line of duty over the course of the year. Those names are inscribed on the National Police Officer Memorial, which currently has nearly 19,000 names of people who sacrificed themselves for us. Many of their friends and family were at the memorial to pay tribute, as were the NNPP&D and around two dozen other police pipe bands from around the country. The entire weekend was physically and emotionally exhausting, and it was unlike anything I have ever experienced. There was constant activity all weekend; one minute you’d be playing directly in front of the weeping loved ones of fallen officers, and the next you would be entertaining officers in an Irish pub. Our band, which is not a competition band (Tidewater Pipes and Drums is a top notch one, for the record), also made our competition debut at the Fraternal Order of Police National Pipe Band Competition this year. We came in a solid 3^rd place, behind the Pipes and Drums of the U.S. Border Patrol and the Chicago Police. I am guessing that there were a few guys who went home and pulled out a map to find out where in the world Newport News, Virginia is.

Bagpipers take on the Capitol

I have never been a first responder, nor in the military, nor in anything with such a sense of brotherhood. There were times over the course of the weekend when I felt guilty, like I was parading around pretending like I made the same sacrifices that those around me made every day. I said as much to some members of the California Highway Patrol (CHiPs Patrol!) while we were waiting for a train in the Metro. Rather than being cast out of my temporary weekend club, one of the officers said to me “you guys don’t know how much your coming here means to us.” Then one of the other officers gave me an official CHP shoulder patch. That thoughtful act made me realize that my small contribution to those in a largely thankless profession is not without merit. It also has gotten me one step closer to finishing my Eric Estrada costume.

Like many people reading this, I was never much one for community involvement. I have a lot of other, more selfish, ways to spend my time. One thing I have learned through my involvement in a public service bagpipe band is that I can contribute by doing something that I love, and would do anyway. There is probably something out there like that for everyone–something that is good for society and good for you at the same time. If you can find it, it will add a whole new level to your character. Find something that you are passionate about and turn that passion outward.

You might see the Newport News Police Pipes and Drums marching in local parades or participating in other local events. The band practices every Tuesday night at Police Headquarters in Newport News and those interested in learning more about the band are encouraged to contact them via their website or on Facebook.