The United States Air Force Pipe Band (USAF Pipe Band) was a highland unit of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

. Organized in 1960 from a predecessor unit that had been activated in 1950, it was deactivated ten years later.

History

The USAF Pipe Band was activated in 1950 as a subordinate unit of the United States Air Force Drum and Bugle Corps at the instigation of the chief of headquarters command at

Bolling Air Force Base Bolling Air Force Base or Bolling AFB was a United States Air Force base in Washington, D.C. In 2010, it was merged with Naval Support Facility Anacostia to form Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling. From its beginning, the installation has hosted elem ...

. Posted to Bolling Air Force Base throughout its existence, its first pipe major was "Scottie" Grubbs, formerly a piper in the

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. Due to USAF uniform regulations, the band was not initially authorized to wear highland dress, however, an intervention by

Curtis LeMay Curtis Emerson LeMay (November 15, 1906 – October 1, 1990) was an American Air Force general who implemented a controversial strategic bombing campaign in the Pacific theater of World War II. He later served as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air ...

subsequently allowed its adoption. Reestablished as an independent unit in 1960, it was deactivated in 1970 despite objections printed in several leading newspapers, including one penned by

Russell Kirk Russell Amos Kirk (October 19, 1918 – April 29, 1994) was an American political theorist, moralist, historian, social critic, and literary critic, known for his influence on 20th-century American conservatism. His 1953 book ''The Conservative ...

. Rumors that Gen.

John Dale Ryan General John Dale Ryan (December 10, 1915 – October 27, 1983) was the seventh Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. As chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, General Ryan served in a dual capacity. He was a member of the Joint Chiefs o ...

had ordered the unit's deactivation as part of an attempt to Americanize United States military bands were rejected by officials who stated the deactivation was for cost-cutting reasons. The band's final pipe major, Norval 'Sandy' Jones, subsequently was appointed pipe major of

The Citadel The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a Public college, public United States senior military college, senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one ...

Related units

The Band of the Air Force Reserve Pipe Band, a highland unit of the

United States Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commiss ...

, was activated in 1970 and operated as a subordinate unit of the Band of the Air Force Reserve. In September 2013 the Band of the Air Force Reserve, and with it the Band of the Air Force Reserve Pipe Band, was deactivated. Following deactivation, a single piper was transferred to the

United States Air Force Band The United States Air Force Band is a U.S. military band consisting of 184 active-duty members of the United States Air Force. It is the Air Force's premier musical organization and is based at Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C.. Within t ...

as the service's sole remaining musician of this type. The Band of the Air Force Reserve Pipe Band wore a tartan from an unclaimed design by Strathmore Woollen Company of

Forfar Forfar ( sco, Farfar, gd, Baile Fharfair) is the county town of Angus, Scotland and the administrative centre for Angus Council, with a new multi-million pound office complex located on the outskirts of the town. As of 2021, the town has a p ...

originally known as the Lady Jane of St Cirus tartan and subsequently registered with the

Scottish Tartans Society The Scottish Tartans Society (STS) was a society committed to the recording and preservation of woven tartan designs from around the world; it maintained the ''Register of All Publicly Known Tartans''. The society was first formed in 1963 and ex ...

as the "US Air Force Reserve Pipe Band tartan".

References

External links

Historic (tribute) website
{{DEFAULTSORT:United States Air Force Pipe Band Bands of the United States Air Force Pipe bands

History

Related units

See also

References

External links