VIDEO: In the clear morning light at the Burton Cemetery near Rexburg, a single piper strikes up a solemn melody. The Memorial Day crowd – already talking in soft tones – grows quiet and gathers to listen.
Surrounded by gravestones with fluttering flags, the Madison Fire Department Pipe Brigade pays tribute to those who have given their lives for their country.
A similar scene is played out in cemeteries across America every Memorial Day. In the mid-1840s, Irish immigrants were coming to the U.S. in large numbers. At the time, they were only allowed to apply for the most dangerous of jobs — including firefighting and policing. Work-related deaths were common in both professions, and traditional Irish funerals included the sound of bagpipes.
Highland bagpipes, according to historians, were used because they are louder than Irish pipes.