It has become increasingly popular for U.S. military veterans and their families to specifically request a piper to not only pipe for a funeral, but to pipe Taps for the rendering of military honors as well. Funerals for law enforcement and fire personnel in the United States have a long tradition of incorporating pipers and military honors, and most departmental funerary protocols closely follow those of the U.S. military. The following is a brief general outline of what to expect and what will be expected of you as a member of an honor guard when playing Taps.
You should be well prepared before the funeral, your pipes should be well tuned, well set up, steady, and reliable. Paramilitary band uniforms, appearance, and instrument should meet or exceed the military standards as outlined in British or Canadian Army regulations for pipers. Civilian dress should look equally neat and presentable; jacket brushed, metalwork polished, leather waxed, and kilt pleats and glengarry ribbons pressed; every bit as squared away as a military uniform. A Homemade kilt in MacWal-Mart tartan with athletic socks and a JC Penny blazer definitely won't cut it. You'll need decent enough kit to look respectable standing alongside Marines in their Class A's. However, do not wear a Prince Charlie and bow tie unless all the other members of the funeral party are in tuxedos and evening gowns. Active duty or retired military personnel and members of the VFW or American Legion may wear their uniforms. Police, EMS, and fire personnel uniform should conform to agency guidelines; when in doubt check with your departmental chaplain prior to arrival. It is completely beyond my comprehension that this even needs to be said, but unfortunately it does; the wearing of military uniform and insignia to which you have not earned the right is extremely offensive to those who have. It's unconscionable, grossly inappropriate, and in some situations can be physically dangerous (in my opinion, rightly so). Do not humiliate yourself, dishonor the decedent, and deeply offend their friends and family by "playing soldier". If you show up dressed as a Pipe Major in the Black Watch, you'd damned well better be a Pipe Major in the Black Watch!
Under absolutely no circumstances should you be late, so plan ahead; taking traffic, weather, and road conditions into account. You should report to the funeral site well prior to the designated time and report immediately to the Officer In Charge (OIC) or Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge (NCOIC). If piping at a National cemetery, it will probably be very busy; check in at the gate, and make sure they know that you need to precede the family to the site in order to coordinate with the honor guard. For a military funeral, at a minimum there will be two uniformed active duty military personnel assigned to the Military Funeral Honors detail, at least one of which will be from the decedent's branch of service. The highest ranking of the two will be the NCOIC. There may also be a color guard and/or firing detail made up of veterans from the Veterans of Foreign Wars or the American Legion. Fire, EMS, and police honor guards will also have a team leader or ranking officer in charge. Always check in and coordinate with this person. Regardless of anything written herein, the OIC/NCOIC is in charge of the ceremony and is to be considered the authoritative source of protocol.
Generally speaking, when you're attached to a detail, the leader of that detail will render all salutes. However, there are some points in some funerals when the entire company present will be called to Attention to Present Arms. As always, when in doubt, check with the NCOIC/OIC. Regardless of uniform, if you are not, nor have you ever been, enlisted in the military, you are by definition a civilian, and you will therefore render all hand salutes by placing your right hand over your heart. The one and only exception to this is uniformed civilian fire, EMS, and police personnel, who should conform to their departmental protocols. Just remember to listen, watch, and follow the lead of the OIC/NCOIC and honor guard (unless you're actively piping); if they come to Attention, so do you, if they salute, so do you. If they uncover, so do you, if they come to Parade Rest, so do you. Most drill commands are given in two parts; the preparatory command, and the command of execution (for example; Present, Arms). When your cue is the execution of a two-part command, go on the command of execution, not the preparatory command (i.e., "Arms"). The piper of an honor guard is a highly ceremonial role; solo pipers who haven't had much exposure to drill should seek to learn some from a Drum Major of a local band if at all possible, and practice some basic drill movements with pipes,
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