Alhambra Police Sgt. Brian Chung was just a child when the planes flew into the towers on Sept. 11, 2001 — too young at the time to fully grasp the scope of the attack.
But come Monday, the piercing sounds of his bagpipes will echo in his community, his stoic, mournful notes comforting many while setting a reflective tone at his city’s 9/11 memorial.
Chung is among bagpipers across the country who on Monday will perform at countless tributes to those lost on Sept. 11, 2001.
It’s the wailing sound of Scotland’s great Highlander bagpipes that in the 22 years since 9/11 have made these ceremonies all the more poignant.
Listen close on Monday, and you might hear “Amazing Grace,” or maybe “God Bless America,” all from what sometimes is a solitary bagpiper, but sometimes with a band — bass drums on the low end, the piccolo pitched rat-a-tat of a snare drummer popping through the air on the high end.
Chung on Monday will dress in his police shirt on top and a kilt and a tartan on the bottom, not only representing Alhambra PD but also his family, who made their way from County Longford, Ireland to Scotland and to the United States.
“My mom (who is full Irish) wanted me to play the pipes when I was a child,” Chung said. “When I was eight years old, she showed me a National Geographic photo of a bagpiper and he had the formal dress, the head piece and I had never heard what) bagpipes sounded like, but I’m looking at this guy wearing all this crazy clothing and I was like ‘No mom … I want to play an electric bass guitar. Knowing what I know now, I wish I started at eight years old. My mom’s all about the Irish heritage.”
But as he prepared for his city’s tribute on Monday, Chung was mindful of the moment, and reverent. He’s performed at 9/11 memorials before in his city, but the meaning of the moment never gets old.
“This is my way of giving back, it’s sweet,” he said. “The grand Highlander has a haunting sound and…
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