Drum major waves goodbye for good. Presidential gaffe publicity has John Coleman saying he won’t return to the Cleveland pipes & drums.
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Read Michael McIntyre’s Tipoff from The Cleveland Plain Dealer
It isn’t just STATter911.com. John Coleman’s wink, nod and wave to greet the brand new President of the United States has been carried and discussed at CNN, AP, Firehouse.com, FireRescue1.com and in newspapers and on TV newscasts across the country.
If the posts on this site and wusa9.com are any indication, Coleman generally seems to have the support of the public and his fellow firefighters. Despite that, John Coleman, a Cleveland Heights fire inspector, says it’s time to say goodbye to the Cleveland Firefighters Memorial Pipes and Drums.
Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter Michael McIntyre, who first reported the story, now apparently brings it to a close. It isn’t the pipes, the pipes, that are calling Coleman right now. It is the bad blood that has developed between Coleman and some of his band mates after the news spread around the country that the drum major was suspended for six months for acknowledging President Barack Obama during the Inaugural Parade.
Coleman told McIntyre, “There are too many bridges burned with the pipe band, too many hurt feelings on both sides. There are some of the members of the band who wouldn’t want me back.”
Here is a bit more from McIntyre’s blog:
Coleman, who as the drum major was the face of the organization, leading it in parades and often interviewed by the media. He does not play an instrument, though, an issue that some band members found unpalatable.
“I figure it’s best for the band if I leave,” he said.
Band leader Mike Engle, the pipe major, was out of town Tuesday and not available. A statement issued by the band read: “We’re sorry to see him leave. We are greatly disappointed that this issue has caused so much heartache. It’s been a disheartening few days.”
Coleman first led the band in the 1993 St. Patrick’s Day Parade. This year’s will be the first in 17 years without him in the lead.
