The United States Coast Guard Pipe Band is a

pipe band A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term pipes and drums, used by military pipe bands is also common. The most common form of pipe band consists of a section of pipers playing the Great Highland bagpipe, a ...

and private military unit composed of current and former

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

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

The idea for a Coast Guard pipe band originated with U.S. Coast Guard

Chief Warrant Officer Chief warrant officer is a military rank used by the United States Armed Forces, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Pakistan Air Force, the Israel Defense Forces, the South African National Defence Force, the Lebanese Armed Forces and, since 2012, th ...

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. Pipeband_players_proudly_performing_memorable_melodies_150417-G-LB229-146

Pipeband_players_proudly_performing_memorable_melodies_150417-G-LB229-146

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. Membership is restricted to personnel of the

U.S. Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mul ...

, 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. As of 2016, the U.S. Coast Guard Pipe Band was a

501(c)3 A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 5 ...

organization incorporated in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Uniforms and equipment

U.S. Coast Guard Pipe Band personnel wear modified

highland dress Highland dress is the traditional, regional dress of the Highlands and Isles of Scotland. It is often characterised by tartan (''plaid'' in North America). Specific designs of shirt, jacket, bodice and headwear may also be worn along with cla ...

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 A kilt ( gd, fèileadh ; Irish: ''féileadh'') is a garment resembling a wrap-around knee-length skirt, made of twill woven worsted wool with heavy pleats at the sides and back and traditionally a tartan pattern. Originating in the Scottish ...

patterned in the Coast Guard

tartan Tartan ( gd, breacan ) is a patterned cloth consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Sc ...

in lieu of trousers. The Coast Guard tartan was designed by Joanne Pendleton in 2002 and was subsequently listed in the

Scottish Register of Tartans The Scottish Register of Tartans (SRT) is Scotland's official non-ministerial department for the recording and registration of tartan designs, operating since 5 February 2009. As a governmental body, SRT is headquartered at HM General Register Ho ...

. It is patterned in red and blue with a white ten-thread count supposed to represent the first ten cutters of the

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. The tartan's full thread count is W10 R10 CGB12 R2 CGB12 ("CGB" meaning "Coast Guard Blue").

References

{{Scottish folk music American military bands Ceremonial units of the United States military Organizations established in 2002 Pipe bands Scottish music

History and operations

Uniforms and equipment

See also

References