United States Coast Guard Pipe Band

Not to be confused with United States Coast Guard Band.

United States Coast Guard Pipe Band

The U.S. Coast Guard Pipe Band pictured in 2010.

Active| 2002 to Present
Allegiance|  United States
Branch|  U.S. Coast Guard
Type| Military Band/Pipe Band
Role| Public Duties
Size| 55
Principal Address| Miami, Florida[1]
Nickname(s)| "The Commandant's Own"
Colors|  Coast Guard Blue
Red
Decorations|
Meritorious Team Commendation
Website| http://www.uscgpipeband.org/
Commanders
Pipe Major| ML Loudermik[2]
Drum Major| Kevin Conquest[2]

Military unit

The United States Coast Guard Pipe Band is a pipe band and private military unit composed of current and former United States Coast Guard personnel. Though a privately maintained entity, it is formally recognized by the U.S. Coast Guard and provides support to official Coast Guard ceremonies including changes-of-command, funerals, and ship commissioning. The unit was established in 2001 and formally recognized by the U.S. Coast Guard as a Coast Guard-affiliated organization the following year.

## History and operations

[edit]

The idea for a Coast Guard pipe band originated with U.S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Kevin Gilheany who organized the group in 2001. The following year it received special authorization from the Commandant of the Coast Guard recognizing it as an affiliate organization and permitting it to incorporate "United States Coast Guard" into its name.[3]

A Coast Guard Pipe Band member pictured in 2015 at Air Station North Bend.

The U.S. Coast Guard Pipe Band is organized into local detachments and its performances typically consist of a single piper and drummer performing for U.S. Coast Guard change-of-command ceremonies, military funerals, and Coast Guard ship commissioning events, however, large ensembles have occasionally been raised for parades and other major occasions including the Grand Haven, Michigan Coast Guard Festival and the New York St. Patrick's Day parade.[4][5][6] Membership is restricted to personnel of the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, and U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, as well as honorably discharged "wartime veterans" of the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. According to the organization, the restriction to "wartime veterans" is due to Coast Guard uniform regulations which only permit non-serving persons to wear the Coast Guard uniform if they previously served during a declared war or national emergency.[6]

As of 2016, the U.S. Coast Guard Pipe Band was a 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in Florida.[1]

## Uniforms and equipment

[edit]

U.S. Coast Guard Pipe Band personnel wear modified highland dress consisting of standard Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary Service Dress Blue "Bravo" uniforms, Tropical Blue Long, and Dinner Dress Blue uniforms augmented with a kilt patterned in the Coast Guard tartan in lieu of trousers.[3]

The Coast Guard tartan was designed by Joanne Pendleton in 2002 and was subsequently listed in the Scottish Register of Tartans. It is patterned in red and blue with a white ten-thread count supposed to represent the first ten cutters of the Revenue-Marine.[7] The tartan's full thread count is W10 R10 CGB12 R2 CGB12 ("CGB" meaning "Coast Guard Blue").[8]

## See also

[edit]

* U.S. Coast Guard Band
* U.S. Coast Guard Ceremonial Honor Guard

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "U. S. COAST GUARD PIPE BAND INC". sunbiz.org. Florida Secretary of State. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
2. ^ a b "Contacts". uscgpipeband.org. U.S. Coast Guard Pipe Band. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
3. ^ a b Mehal, Steven. "The United States Coast Guard Pipe Band". Eastwind Magazine. No. Summer 2009.
4. ^ Moore, Lynn (4 August 2012). "Coast Guard Festival parade features dignitaries, bands, clowns and helicopter fly-overs". Muskegon Chronicle. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
5. ^ "Highlights of the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival". Grand Rapids Press. 23 July 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
6. ^ a b "Frequently Asked Questions". uscgpipeband.org. U.S. Coast Guard Pipe Band. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
7. ^ "Tartan Details – U.S. Coast Guard". tartanregister.gov.uk/. Government of Scotland. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
8. ^ U.S. Coast Guard Uniform Regulations (PDF). U.S. Coast Guard. 2012. pp. 4–32.

* v
* t
* e

United States Coast Guard

* Category:United States Coast Guard

Leadership|

* Secretary of Homeland Security
* Commandant of the Coast Guard
* Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard
* Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard

Organization|

* Missions
* Reserve
* Intelligence
* Investigative Service
* Legal Division
* Police

Areas
* Districts
* Sectors
* Stations
* Air Stations
* Radio stations
* Shipbuilding Yard
* National Ice Center
* Research and Development Center
* Coast Guard Auxiliary

Personnel and training|

* Personnel
* Officer ranks
* Enlisted ranks
* Ratings
* Coast Guard Academy
* Training Center Cape May
* Training Center Petaluma
* Training Center Yorktown
* Maritime Law Enforcement Academy
* Joint Maritime Training Center
* Aviation Association
* Chaplain of the Coast Guard
* Four-star admirals
* Three-star admirals

Uniforms and equipment|

* Uniforms
* Awards
* Badges
* Cutters
* List of cutters
* Ship commissioning
* Ship decommissioning
* Equipment

History and traditions|

* History
* Coast Guard Act
* Coast Guard City
* Life-Saving Service
* Revenue Cutter Service
* Lighthouse Service
* Steamboat Inspection Service
* Bureau of Navigation
* "Semper Paratus"
* Flag
* Ensign
* Racing Stripe
* United States Coast Guard Band
* United States Coast Guard Ceremonial Honor Guard
* United States Coast Guard Pipe Band
* Fleet Week
* Coast Guard service numbers
* Coast Guardsman's Creed
* United States Coast Guard Cutters
* Coast Guard Bears
* SPARS

Battles and operations|

* Quasi-War
* War of 1812
* West Indies anti-piracy operations
* Capture of the schooner Bravo
* Ingham Incident
* Amistad Incident
* Great Lakes Patrol
* Mexican–American War
* American Civil War
* Battle of Fort Sumter
* Battle of Pig Point
* Battle of Galveston Harbor
* Battle of Portland Harbor
* Overland Relief Expedition
* Spanish–American War
* Battle of Manila Bay
* Battle of Cárdenas
* Ice Patrol
* World War I
* 1st Battle of the Atlantic
* Great Mississippi Flood
* Rum Patrol
* World War II
* 2nd Battle of the Atlantic
* Battle of Guam
* Operation Overlord
* Korean War
* Vietnam War
* Coast Guard Squadron One
* Operation Market Time
* Operation Sealords
* Action of 1 March 1968
* Persian Gulf War
* War on terror
* Afghanistan War
* Iraq War
* Operation Enduring Freedom HOA

* v
* t
* e

United States military bands

U.S. Army|

| Premier ensembles|

* Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps
* U.S. Army Band
* U.S. Army Field Band
* West Point Band

|

Specialized units
of premier ensembles|

* Downrange
* Hellcats
* Jazz Ambassadors
* U.S. Army Blues
* U.S. Army Chorus
* U.S. Army Herald Trumpets
* U.S. Army Soldiers' Chorus
* U.S. Army Strings
* Six-String Soldiers

Unit bands|

* 13th Army Band
* 25th Army Band
* 76th Army Band
* 77th Army Band
* 78th Army Band
* 100th Army Band
* 191st Army Band
* 338th Army Band
* I Corps Band
* 323rd Army Band

Former bands|

* The Jazz Knights
* Signal Corps Band
* Military Intelligence Corps Band

Civilian bands|

* U.S. Army All-American Marching Band

U.S. Navy and
U.S. Marine Corps|

| Premier ensembles|

* U.S. Marine Band
* U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps
* U.S. Naval Academy Band
* U.S. Navy Band

|

Specialized units
of premier ensembles|

* Commodores
* Country Current
* Cruisers
* Sea Chanters

Naval fleet bands|

* Naval Forces Europe Band
* Seventh Fleet Band
* Pacific Fleet Band
* Navy Band Northwest
* Navy Band Great Lakes
* Navy Band Southwest
* Navy Band Northeast
* Navy Band Mid-South
* Navy Band Southeast
* U.S. Fleet Forces Band

Marine wing/division bands|

* United States Marine Band
* Quantico Marine Corps Band
* Parris Island Marine Band
* Marine Corps Band San Diego
* 1st Marine Division Band
* 2nd Marine Division Band
* 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Band
* 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Band
* Marine Corps Forces, Pacific Band
* Marine Forces Reserve Band

Former bands|

* Navy Band New Orleans
* Navy Band South
* III Marine Amphibious Force Band
* Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms Band

U.S. Air Force|

| Premier ensembles|

* U.S. Air Force Band
* U.S. Air Force Academy Band

|

Specialized units
of premier ensembles|

* Max Impact

Regional bands|

* Air Force in Europe Band
* Air Force Band of Flight
* Air Force Band of the Golden West
* Air Force Band of Mid-America
* Air Force Band of the Pacific - Asia
* Air Force Band of the Pacific
* Air Force Band of the West
* Air Force Heritage of America Band
* Air Force Heartland of America Band
* Air Force Academy Drum and Bugle Corps

Former bands|

* Air Force Band of Liberty
* Band of the Air Force Reserve
* Tops in Blue
* U.S. Air Force Pipe Band

U.S. Coast Guard|

| Premier ensembles|

* U.S. Coast Guard Band

|

Other bands|

* U.S. Coast Guard Pipe Band

State defense forces|

* Maryland Defense Force Band
* Oregon State Defense Force Pipe Band

Corps of Cadets /
Midshipmen|

* Citadel Regimental Band and Pipes
* Fightin' Texas Aggie Band
* Golden Eagle Band
* Highty-Tighties
* Merchant Marine Academy Regimental Band

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* t
* e

Scottish folk music

Folk song|

* Bothy ballad
* Cornkister
* Gaelic psalm singing
* Lilting
* Puirt à beul
* Waulking song

Folk dances|

* Cèilidh
* Dirk
* Highland
* Country
* Sword

Instruments|

* Accordion
* Acoustic guitar
* Bass drum
* Border pipes
* Cello
* Clàrsach (Harp)
* Fiddle
* Flute
* Great Highland bagpipe
* Low whistle
* Melodeon
* Piano
* Scottish smallpipes
* Side drum
* Tenor drum
* Tin whistle

Common forms
(by metre)

| Duple-time|

* Polka
* Highland Schottische

|

Duple / Quadruple-time|

* Barn dance
* Highland Fling
* Hornpipe
* Reel
* Strathspey

Triple-time|

* Waltz

Duple compound|

* Jig
* Two-step

Triple compound|

* Slip jig

Others|

* Marches

Modes|

* Aeolian
* Dorian
* Ionian
* Mixolydian
* Pentatonic

Characteristics|

* Scotch snap

Related music|

* English folk music
* Irish traditional music (particularly the Donegal fiddle tradition)
* Cape Breton fiddling

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