Cops hear pipes' call

Police Pipes and Drums is a band on the march

Published in the Asbury Park Press 08/25/05

BY AMY WALSACK
CORRESPONDENT

The wail of bagpipes rose through the air as members of the Monmouth County Police Pipes and Drums rounded the corner, marching in formation toward onlookers on the sidewalk.

The musicians wore their traditional attire of sleeved uniform shirts and woolen kilts under the hot August sun.

This group of law-enforcement officials were on hand to participate in the dedication of the George E. McCormack Memorial Park in Lake Como , honoring one of their own.

"This is what it's all about," said the band's director, Brian Gillespie , an officer with the Manasquan Police Department.

Gillespie, a drum sergeant, helped coordinate the Pipes and Drums' involvement in the dedication of the park honoring McCormack, a police captain who died unexpectedly last summer at the age of 44 before South Belmar changed its name to Lake Como .

A triangle of land donated by the borough and nestled along the train tracks on a quiet side street, the park's appearance is the culmination of many volunteer hours and donated materials, according to Lake Como Police Officer Stephen Roe.

Roe is a trustee of the George McCormack Foundation and was a close friend of the police captain.

"George was known to everyone," said Gillespie, who noted that McCormack had attended many of the Pipes and Drums' performances and become friendly with the musicians. "He was a great friend to a lot of police officers."

The band had played at McCormack's funeral last year, Gillespie said, and members wanted to be at the park dedication to "keep George's memory alive."

Although the band performs at many police line-of-duty funerals, Gillespie was quick to point out that the music should not necessarily be perceived as mournful.

"It can also be joyous," he said. "We celebrate their death and their life as well."

The Pipes and Drums got its start in 1999 with an effort to commemorate the life of Sgt. Pat King of the Long Branch Police Department, who was killed in the line of duty.

The group now has more than 30 members - musically inclined law-enforcement officers from all over the county who meet weekly in Wall to practice. Members come from local, state, county and federal agencies and accept donations to perform at functions to offset the cost of their band uniforms, which run between $1,500 and $2,000, Gillespie said.

Aside from honoring fellow officers at funeral and memorial services, the Pipes and Drums members donate their time and talent to helping raise money for charitable causes.

In October they are scheduled to participate in a 3-mile walk on the Belmar boardwalk as a fund-raiser for 180 Turning Lives Around, a group dedicated to ending domestic violence and sexual assault.

The Pipes and Drums will be on hand Sept. 11 to pay tribute at the Monmouth County 9/11 Memorial in Atlantic Highlands.

The band lost one of its own members in the attack on the World Trade Center . Rich Rodriguez of Aberdeen , a drummer, was one of 37 officers from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department to die after rushing into the twin towers.

Pipe Maj. Paul Seetoo said he felt compelled to fulfill a childhood dream and train to join a band such as the Monmouth County Police Pipes and Drums following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Seetoo, a Manalapan detective, said that as a child in South Jersey he would sit mesmerized on a curb for hours and watch a neighbor, who was a drum major, practice. Seetoo said he had already learned how to read music from playing the piano but opted to dedicate three years of his time to mastering the bagpipe and eventually graduate to pipe major.

Seetoo said the many performances and practices required as a member of the Pipes and Drums were time-consuming when coupled with the hectic, rotating schedule of a police officer.

"It's difficult trying to juggle work, family and doing the right thing for the community," he said.

That level of commitment is something that can't be taught, according to Gillespie.

"It's a special spark," he said.

At the Lake Como dedication ceremony on Aug. 14, Seetoo, resplendent in his glengarry cap and displaying a mastery of the wild tentacles of his instrument, lead the Pipes and Drums through its paces.

Midway through the ceremony, as the gathering of local officials and borough police officers paused in their praise of McCormack, the bagpipes released the first bittersweet notes of "Amazing Grace" while drummers steadily increased the intensity of their beat until the tune's culmination.

When all the volunteers responsible for preparing the park had been thanked, Seetoo gave a command and the Pipes and Drums launched into "You're a Grand Old Flag" and began to march away from the park while small American flags waved from the end of each bagpipe.

Following the dedication of the park, some of the band members continued on to perform at the Monmouth County Police Chiefs picnic in Wall that afternoon.

Snare drummer Dean Textor, a detective with the Wall Police Department, remarked that most people associate bagpipes with parades on St. Patrick's Day. He said he enjoys playing at events when the band remains stationary and the audience is able to watch the performance.

"When they see bagpipes in the summer," Textor said, "everybody lights up."

For more information, visit www.mcpolicepipes.com on the Web.