Photo By Sgt. 1st Class James Wilt | Below the flag posts at the Joint Operations Center on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan,...... read more read more
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By Sgt. Jim Wilt
Combined Joint Task Force - 82
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – In a combat zone, Soldiers carry an assortment of weapons to protect themselves. Knives, pistols, M-4 carbines, even .50 caliber sniper rifles can be found in the repertoire of weapons service members carry.
One military policeman, serving at Bagram Airfield, carries a weapon of a different caliber.
U.S. Army Sgt. John M. Savery, of the 235th Military Police Company, carries an instrument of war that was once banned by the British government. The irony is the instrument Savery carries is just that, an instrument. The Great Highland Bagpipe was banned by the English government as a weapon of war.
As the sun sets on Bagram Airfield, Savery, with pipes in hand, can be found in the Joint Operations Center parking lot playing to an audience of himself and anyone who happens to walk by.
Savery, 26, is a self-described "connoisseur of weird instruments" which includes many traditional Irish and Scottish instruments. He plays the bagpipe, when he gets the chance, so he can blow off steam and raise the morale of anyone passing by.
"For some reason, and anyone can attest to this, there is something about it that just grabs at you," Savery said.
"It inspires troops and motivates them," said Savery, a Custer, S.D. native. "I don't know how it does it but it does."
"Troops need it," he added. "They need that uplifting, they need something to lift their spirits."
As an adopted child, Savery began to research his lineage after receiving his pipes as a Christmas present in 1997. He said he traced his heritage back to two countries renowned for the playing of the pipes, Ireland and Scotland.
The Scots were the reason the Great Highlands were banned by the Brits as a weapon of war. The pipes were used by the Scots to lead soldiers into battle.
According to the Fergus-Scottish Festival Web site (www.fergusscottishfestival.com,) the Act of Proscription was enacted following the Battle of Culloden 1746. The act forbade the wearing of Tartan (a plaid fabric worn by the Scots,) the speaking of Gaelic, and the playing of the bagpipes, which were declared a weapon of war.
The penalty for playing the pipes was harsh the site says. A player who was caught was drawn and quartered.
Approximately 50 years later, the British rescinded their ban on the instrument in an effort to recruit Soldiers for their army.
To this day, bagpipes and the military have been inextricably tied together. While the pipes were still played in World War I, they have faded from combat but not from the military.
Military funerals, as well as those of policemen and firemen, are often adorned with sad songs emanating from a lone piper.
Savery has been this piper.
"[To play at a military funeral] is an honor for me," he said
"One of my favorite places is the graveyard," Savery said. "That sounds morbid but it is one of the most peaceful places you [can go.]"
"The one I was most proud to do [was] a Ranger's." Savery said. The Ranger, who survived a failed parachute opening and was returning home from Walter Reed Medical Center, was killed in a drunken driving accident. He was part of Savery's local community.
A bugle player could not be located for the Ranger's funeral, Savery said.
"I'm glad I got to play the pipes for it because a Soldier deserves more than a tape recording of Taps," he said.
Savery said he honored him with "Amazing Grace."
While Bagram, Afghanistan is not a place often associated with bagpipes, the pipes are believed to have originated in the Middle East, Savery said.
During the middle ages, the bagpipe, in different variations, spread through out Europe and was a popular instrument, he said.
The pipes popularity faded from many countries, but they remained popular in Ireland and Scotland.
Today they are still played in both countries as well as variations of the pipes in several European and North American countries.
While the U.S. military does not recognize bagpipers in the service, the pipes are still associated with the service.
From the playing of "Amazing Grace" at a fallen service member's funeral to a lone piper playing in a parking lot, the mournful wail or the triumphant song of a bagpipe will remain a part of the U.S. Military for years to come.
| Date Taken: | 05.26.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 05.29.2007 13:52 |
| Story ID: | 10539 |
| Location: | BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF |
| Web Views: | 640 |
| Downloads: | 292 |
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