JACKSON, Mississippi (WAPT) -- On Memorial Day, Kris Carmichael honored the fallen with his breath, playing bagpipes.

Carmichael has spent the past 40 years playing his bagpipe at memorials offering a musical tribute to those who have served and sacrificed. His songs echo across cemeteries, through folded flags, and beneath trembling hands.

"It's never just music. It's a final gift. One last call, especially for those who gave everything," Carmichael said.

Bagpipes, often called the instruments of war, carry a history as heavy as the uniforms laid to rest. In battle, pipers marched unarmed, without rifles, just reeds and valor. Their duty was to lead the men forward and play them home.

"They couldn't fight. They stood and played while bullets flew. That takes a different kind of courage," Carmichael said.

Carmichael has played for firefighters, police officers, veterans -- all heroes of a different front line. Each note, he says, must rise with purpose. Each breath, a tribute. Some honor with words, others with flags. Carmichael honors with air and ancient sound that says what silence cannot.

"As long as I have breath, I'll play for them. That's my promise. That's my duty," Carmichael said.

On this day of memory, the music lingers, and so do the men and women for which it was meant.