MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- The bagpipes, a rare instrument whose rich tones have mellowed with age, have a home at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
With an elbow on the bag, fingers on the canter and his shoulder on the drones, the Marine bagpiper stepped gracefully while rendering "Amazing Grace" and "The Marines' Hymn" with a serious eye. The solemn gathering of Marines listened as the bagpiper's droning and humming sounds slowly faded away.
Playing a sound that is often long remembered, Lt. Col. Daniel J. Gillan, assistant chief of staff for aviation logistics, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, has been playing the bagpipes for 34 years and often plays the "pipes" at Marine ceremonies and special events.
"I play whenever I am asked," said Gillan who hails from Chicago. "I play at mess nights, (Marine Corps) birthday balls, welcome home ceremonies, weddings, funerals, memorials, changes of command, New Year's Eve, St. Patrick's Day and with various bands in parades."
Gillan, the eldest of eight children whose father was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, has listened to the intriguing sounds of bagpipe music since he was a young boy.
"My father did not play the pipes, but he would play the music all the time when I was a kid and I always liked the pipe bands in parades," recalled Gillan. "I first started playing the bagpipes when I was 12 years old."
Equally correct in the singular or plural, the bagpipes (or bagpipe) is a musical class of instrument using enclosed melody reed pipes and an airtight bag that can provide a continuous stream of air.
The history of the bagpipes is unclear, although the instrument was invented in pre-Christian times. Ancient Greek depictions of bagpipers exist and the Roman legions are thought to have marched to the sounds of the pipes. The Roman Emperor Nero is thought to have been a bagpiper and it is believed that various ethnic groups in the Roman Empire originated the idea of taking a skinned bag and combining it with chanter and a blowpipe. Although exactly when the bagpipes were introduced to the British Isles is unknown, their popularity exploded.
The modern bagpipe, like most throughout history, has a chanter-the flute-like reed with finger holes-and three drones (pipes) that make the heavy humming sound. This form of bagpipe is believed to have developed in the 1700s from earlier one- and two-drone versions. Research suggest that the pipes were even considered a weapon of war during Scotland's clashes with England because of their martial nature and ability to throw fear into the enemy, according to www.bagpiper.com.
"I played at my first duty station in Kaneohe Bay in 1978," said Gillan whose Marine Corps career began with graduation from recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C. in 1977. "I played locally for Scottish Highland dancers and various events throughout Oahu."
Gillan was first trained as an aviation ordnanceman and served with Marine Aircraft Group 24, making two Western Pacific deployments with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232. He was later commissioned as a second lieutenant through the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education
Program in May 1984 after graduating from Purdue University with a bachelor's degree in sociology and political science.
Gillan also earned a Masters of Science in Management in 1990 from the Naval Postgraduate School and then a masters in military studies in 1999 from Marine Corps Command and Staff College. He is also a 2002 graduate of the Air War College Seminar Program and a certified professional contract manager.
Throughout his Marine Corps career, Gillan has played his bagpipes wherever he can, leaving behind a powerful musical impression. Recently he played at a memorial service Aug. 12 held atop Mount Soledad in La Jolla, Calif., for two fallen aviators with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, who perished while serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"It's really an honor for me to play for these Marines," said Gillan.