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The bagpipe notes reverberate with distinction. Somber. Regal. Strong. The bass and snare drums sound as though they should announce a coming army or foreshadow an impending battle.
Instead, they rattle the windows of the Carrick High School cafeteria, where the Greater Pittsburgh Police Emerald Society Pipes and Drums Band gathers for one last practice before the March 12 St. Patrick's Day parade.
For the two-dozen men who hone this centuries-old musical form, it's a chance to recognize their ethnic heritage. A chance to honor their profession.
And, "It's a chance to see a bunch of grown men wear skirts. Proudly," kids Joe Smith, a Port Authority of Allegheny County police officer and drummer in the band.
The jocular camaraderie exhibited by the group does not belie their seriousness of purpose, their attention to detail and their respect for tradition.
The band was formed in 2001 by Collier Officer Dave Agostino and South Fayette Officer Chuck Handerhan after the pair attended funeral services for Aliquippa police Officer James Naim, who was slain while on duty.
"We went to the funeral and couldn't believe that there was no local police pipe band," Handerhan said. The Allegheny County Sheriff's Department has a pipe band, but Handerhan said it is composed mostly of civilians .
"Boston and Cleveland had sent their bands, so after the funeral,...