ON THE JOB NEWS JUST HANDED DOWN ATHENA REPORT MISSION CRITICAL SYSTEMS
Police Memorial Piping Poems
and copyrighted by Chief J.T McBride, these have been performed during the National Law Enforcement Offi cer Pipe Band Memorial March in Washington, D.C.
A
Pipe Me Down, Lads! Pipe me down, lads when the fi nal day comes. Lay me down smartly with your pipes and drums. Wear your dress blues, lads, when I fi nally fall. To honor my memory stand proud and stand tall. Please play those great tunes so long dear to me; Like “Amazing Grace” and the “Rose of Tralee.” I’ll already be there when you play last for me, Enjoying the bless- ings the Lord promised me. As one of His soldiers in this world of strife, I’ll be havin’ the great gift of eternal life. So pipe me down, lads, and don’t cry for me. I’m fi nally where I’ve so longed to be. With mom and with dad and with all of the rest, Who went on before me to my fi nal rest. I’ve done my best; my life is done. I won’t need my badge and I won’t need my gun. If there be a God, and I’m sure that there is, Then He’s holding my hand and I’m holding his. So pipe me down, lads, and play best you can. I’m listening to you in the promised land.
We Honor our Fallen! We honor all our Fallen Ones. Brave heroes one and all. Killed in the line-of-duty, On deadly “fi nal calls” We honor them with music. We build them walls of stone. We honor them each time we march. We claim them as our own. We honor all our Fallen Ones. We honor their brave ways. We lay them down with homage. We honor them today. The names of all our Fallen Ones, Will live on through the years. We honor them with heartfelt prayers, We honor them with our tears.
There are many ways to remember our fallen. By J.T. McBride I Guest Commentator
www.nclees.org
esanow@hendonpub.com Sgt. Ed Sanow
s we honor our fallen offi cers this month, consider these three National Law Enforcement Poems. Written
We Lay Down a Good Man Today! A sea of blue lines the city streets; Hearts hand low as the drummers beat; This day is sad and so full of gloom, As the pipers play another funeral tune. Our throats are tight and our eyes are wet; And the coffi n hasn’t even passed us yet; I look at you, you stare back at me; I’m here for you and you’re here for me. We bury one of our own today. Yet another good cop has been taken away. We say goodbye in our own special way. We lay down a good man today. Death walks with us on every beat. It lurks nearby on every street. Why was it him, and not you or me? We’ll ponder that for eternity. This lad we lost was one of ours; His killing leaves yet another scar. He was taken well before his time, Just because he walked the thin blue line. Here they come now, all in a row. The cycles lead and the blue lights glow. There’s thousands here to say goodbye, To a wonderful and special guy. He paid the price and gave his all, On that costly and deadly fi nal call. He lost his life in a terrible way. I hope the killer will have to pay. We bury one of our own today. Yet another good cop has been taken away. We say goodbye in our own special way, As we lay down a good man today.
Chief J.T. McBride (ret) has been marching for over 25 years. He started as a drummer and transferred to pipes. McBride was one of the found- ers of the annual memorial pipe band march. He may be reached at
Chiefjtm@aol.com.
LaO Post your comments on this story by visiting
www.lawandordermag.com “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.” — Henry IV, William Shakespeare 6 LAW and ORDER I May 2014
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