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Airman honors fallen troops with bagpipes

As airmen and soldiers gather at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan to pay their final respects to a fallen warrior, the sound of a lone bagpipe echoes over the mourners.

Tech. Sgt. Iain Morrison, of Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., estimates he’s played at 40 ceremonies honoring about 70 service members since he arrived this spring at Bagram, where he is assigned to the 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron.

"I'm not keeping an accurate record, mainly because I don't want to know," Morrison said in an Air Force release. "It's difficult. You put up some sort of a mental block to it, but still there is a very deep realization that what I am doing is the last thing the family is going to see of Bagram."

Morrison started playing the bagpipe as a child and got serious about playing in his late teens.

Now, whenever he deploys, Morrison takes his bagpipe with him and volunteers to play when the base chaplains request it.

At Bagram, Morrison has performed with the Army’s Combined Joint Task Force-101 Band during fallen comrade ceremonies. For each ceremony, Morrison plays a set of traditional Scottish tunes, always ending with "Amazing Grace."

"I've had several people comment on how much it has added to the ceremony — the chaplains, our leadership," said Morrison.

As much as it is an honor to play for each fallen comrade, Morrison said, it can take an emotional toll. After one particular ceremony for nine soldiers, Morrison said he spent most of the day in the chaplain's office blowing off steam.

Back in Florida, Morrison has played for a number of funeral services and ceremonies, but said it doesn't compare to the ceremonies he performs in Afghanistan

“That's a different scale, I guess. I live in a Panama City, which is largely a retirement community; most the time the people are 70, 80 plus years old and have lived their life,” he said. “But when we are doing this here, they are 18 to whatever years old. Sometimes they are kids just out of high school.

“While I would be happy to never have to play at another fallen comrade ceremony, I will continue to do it as needed,” Morrison added. “As a piper it is my duty.”