TOLEDO, Ohio — At his funeral, a local pipes and drums band will help give fallen Toledo police Ofc. Brandon Stalker the send-off he deserves.
"Never thought we'd be here," Toledo Firefighters Pipes and Drums band drum major Gerry Mazur said.
The playing of bagpipes is a longstanding tradition underscoring the loss of police officers and firefighters in the line of duty. It's a tradition that will continue Tuesday as Ofc. Stalker is laid to rest.
"We'll play a tune for Ofc. Stalker leading him from the hearse to the gravesite," Mazur explained. "21-gun salute and the prayers and everything they would do with that, and taps. And then we'll play 'Amazing Grace' as they fold the American flag and that's presented to his widow."
Mazur and company travel far and wide for these ceremonies. But he said it doesn't make a single one any less emotional.
"July 7, when we buried Ofc. Dia, we certainly didn't think we'd be in this position again and here we are six months later," he said. "The ironic part is Tuesday is also the seven-year anniversary for (fallen Toledo firefighters) Steve (Machinski) and Jamie (Dickman) from the firefighters, when we lost both of them."
An entire city's grief seemingly coming to a head, all at once. And a sense of responsibility for these bagpipers to honor a man of service.
"It's going to be an emotional day, but this is what we do," Mazur said. "You honor the fallen and you send them off the right way and always keep them in your memory."