Texas bagpiper tries to lift spirits

Tony Hill stands in front of his home in Arlington, Texas, facing west, and plays “Highland Cathedral” on his bagpipes. The notes of the popular Scottish melody echo over the nearby homes and yards.

In his own way, Hill is offering an end-of-the-day tribute to the nurses, doctors and other health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic that has sickened millions and killed more than 250,000 people worldwide.

Hundreds, maybe thousands of other bagpipers around the world do the same thing every evening. The sounds of bagpipers can be heard from New Zealand to the United Kingdom, from the Bretons in northwest France, to India and Pakistan, where bagpipes were brought by the British when they controlled the region.

Night after night, united across the planet, the bagpipers make their way outdoors and play for one reason.

“It’s about saluting the health care workers,” said Hill, a patient safety clinical risk manager at Parkland Memorial Hospital.

But the pipes remain associated with the military and are common at funerals for veterans, said Richardson, who plays during funeral services at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery at least once or twice a week.

“With this pandemic, it’s now a medical battle, but it’s still a dangerous battle,” Richardson said. “It’s still a war, and it’s taking casualties as well.”

So the pipers play for the health care workers, both as a tribute and to inspire them, he said. “Because they’re going into battle, too. All over the world.”