May 16, 2009

Honor, Dignity, Integrity ³

by Wendy • featured, Firehouse Jargen, Traveling Bites • Tags: bag pipes, honor guard, Lewisville Honor Guard, symposium

This is the motto for most fire and police honor guards and pipe and drum bands.  They form a group, then practice and practice and wait to be dispatched to the funerals of their retiree’s and their fallen.  They will also march beautifully in parades and that is where most people will conjure up a memory or two about a firefighter dressed up in dress blues or a police officer donning a kilt and a drum.  But the folding of the flag and the sound of a bagpipe in the distance is what those of us who have attended a burial have burned into our brains.

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard Amazing Grace played or have watched the honor guards practice caskets lifts into the fire trucks at a midnight hour…it’s one too many, I know that for sure.  Whenever I am with the bands or with the guard it’s usually because of my work.  However, these last three days I had the opportunity to spend some time with these extra special heroes in an atmosphere that was more light-hearted and fun.  I was at the second annual Lewisville Fire Department Keeping Tradition Alive Pipe, Drums and Honor Guard Symposium in Lewisville, TX to teach a couple of classes.  I have attended both years but this year I was able to stay the full three days, which I am ever so glad that I did.  It gave me a chance to purge all of the stoic faces and sad songs that I have churning in the files of my mind and see these guys practice, learn, and then have fun with something they are so passionate about.  It was good for me to hear Cajun Grace (a rockin’ version of Amazing Grace) and all of the other upbeat songs.  It was good for me to see smiles on the faces of the honor guards that I know so well.  I had a blast just hanging out and not ‘talk business’ outside of classroom time.  Okay, well for the most part we didn’t talk business.

To see this tradition fills me with pride for the fire service and all that we stand for…honor, dignity, and integrity.