Richmond Highland Games and Celtic Festival
The Richmond Highland Games and Celtic Festival was awesome. Wow; what a great reception we got in our DCU”s; Hats off to Gene and Dave for having a vision and the courage to put it into action. Ryan; Aaron and Aisha’s solos were wonderful and enjoyed be everyone. Did you see the crowd following us for our walk about? A big thank you to Ryan debuting his special competition pieces with VSGPD. Aaron was in fine voice and a real crowd pleaser. The whole band was just wonderful and I am so proud to play with you all. It was a weekend of great music, great friends, great food, great entertainment and great memories. See more photos by clicking on “events” on the main page. See you all tomorrow night for our “Potluck, Birthday, practice”
As a veteran of the armed services I am offended by your use of DCU and the way you “played” military. It was offensive to my self and other veterans I spoke with on Sunday as well. You did yourselves no favors on that day. Gene and Dave had no vision other than to insult and dishonor all military personal. If you continue to dress and portray yourselves as military when you are not I will organize a boycott of veterans at the next games or a protest outside of the games themselves. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Bill Cash
Hi there, my family really enjoyed your performace at the Richmond games on Sunday. I was wondering if you have a song list you wouldn’t mind sharing?
In response to Bill;
As a veteran; I am grateful for your awesome service to our great country. I am so sorry you were offended; we heard nothing but thank you’s and praise for honoring our US armed forces with our special military set and outfits. I wish we could have met you and told you how much we appreciate all you sacrificed in your service to America. I hope the email sent to you explaining the legal wearing of discontinued uniforms from JAG is helpful, and our standing offer to perform for free at any event honoring or benefiting our military and their families is well received. We are not nor will we ever do anything to dishonor or disrespect our active or retired service men and women and their families.
Julie
Did you want a list of all the songs we do? Or just those performed by one of our singers this past weekend?
I throughly enjoyed all the bands, I loved your salute to the Armed Forces.
Great performance, very enjoyable, if I had more time I would probably join up!
Well I particularly enjoyed the song performed in front of the blue ribbon society tent.
Oh… as a former Sergeant and later an Officer in the Army, I did not find your attire offensive, nor get impression of malcontent. It may be prudent to recognize that some viewiers are more sensitive than others. Yet we should all keep in mind that imitation is the highest complement.
My, how the mighty have fallen.
Poor “Bill Cash”, if that’s your real name, is wringing his hands and weeping and wailing and moaning and gnashing his teeth because the VSG wore camos. Waaaaahhhhh!!!! I doubt you were even in the military. Military men and women I know don’t whine and threaten boycotts. Nobody in their right mind would even equate what this band does as a show of disrespect to the military: It takes a feeble and insecure mentality to create the dots one must connect to draw such a ridiculous conclusion. It’s so laughable, in fact, that to even respond to this ludicrous assertion is a waste of my time. Also, how brave it is of you to hide behind your keyboard and computer screen and snipe like a little wussy. My friends and family members who have served in the military would never do this. Your pathetic attempt speaks for itself. Come gripe about it to me to my face, I’m easy to find. I’m at band practice each Tuesday. If you’re really feeling froggy, mate, I’ll arrange with ISLAND DOJO for us to settle it using Mixed Martial Arts Rules. If you think you can beat me we’ll have a bonfire and burn all the camos.
VSG has members who are retired military officers and if there had been a real problem with the protocol, they would have pointed it out.
In closing, I now declare that you, “Bill Cash”, will henceforth be known as “CHUMP CHANGE”. Put that in your pipe and smoke it at your next boycott!
Thomas W. Blanton, III
Son of a D-Day Veteran
Dear Bill Cash,
I mirror the majority of my husband’s sentiments as expressed previously. I also take issue with that fact that you can so casually address the officers of our band in such an informal matter as to imply that you know them on some personal level. If that were, in fact, the case, I see no reason why you couldn’t discuss your grievance with them in person. As expressed by my husband, you hid behind the anonymity of your keyboard and monitor. I would also certainly hope you have better things to do with your personal time than to personally canvass every vet and vet organization you can to boycott any of our performances, simply because you don’t care for the cut of our jib.
Build a bridge, dear Mr. Cash, and GET OVER YOURSELF.
Dear Mr. Cash,
My name is David Hinton, I am the Pipe Major of the VSGPD. I serve the function of “CO” for the band. But I have a lot of good people working with me to make things happen.
I personnaly have never served in any branch of the US Armed Forces, But I am the son of a highly decorated combat veteran of Vietnam. My father served in the USAF for 23 yrs. attaining the rank of E-7 at his retirment. His function was flight engineer on the AC-119 gunship during arial combat. I am very proud of his service.
My family on both sides were military families. My maternal Grandfather practicaly raised me in the absence of my Father was decorated for his service in the US Army in WWII.
One of my daughters who is our bands Drum Sgt. is the Executive Officer of her NJROTC class at PHHS in Ashland. She plans to go in the VA Army Natl. Guard upon graduation.
I came very close to enlisting in the VA Air Natn. Guard, but my immediate family had college in mind for me, so I chose to honor their wishes.
Our band is made up of veterans from all five branches of service. Also we have active duty personnel playing with us also. This one just recently came back from deployment in Kuwait. This young man is close to my heart, as he is my daughters boyfriend, and has helped me several times without question,anytime.
So far to date, you have been the only dissenting comment out of a thousand of positive ones.And yours came not in person, but in a blog response. By not delivering this in person, it makes it difficult to have a dialog to defend our position.In any case this uniform, which has become only part of our wardrobe is here to stay. No one in this organization will ever dishonor any Veteran, or branch of service as long as I am Pipe Major.
If you take your logic a bit furthur, you should be offended by Hollywood who uses all of the insignias, ranks, and ribbons and medals. And how about hunters who buy surplus, which is cheaper then new stuff.
I have recieved phone calls from several people since your post in support of my position. These people are also vets. And they feel honored by us.
As some one else responded imitation is the best form of flattery. I am sorry you were offended, but I am looking at the big picture. And I have found that yiu cannot please everyone.
Also any time someone innovates something in the piping world there is contraversy. Mostly jealousy becase they did not think of it first. Burt Mitchell, a world class piping champion, and pipe instructor at VMI took a lot of heat for his innovatetive band Warpipe. The also wear BDUs.
Use tri and quad toms.
Anyway I think I have made my point. Any questions, feel free to come to our practice, and see what we are about. This is an invitation, and everyone who knows me, knows me as a reasonabl man.
Thank you for your service to our country in whatever branch you served, and hope to meet you some day.
Thanks,
Pipe Major David Hinton, VSGPD.
I am former Navy, and am proud to be a Pipe Sergeant in the VSGPD. I do find the anonymous nature of Mr. Cash’s response via internet as a one that reeks of cowardice. He must have a bone to pick with somebody, and decided to take it out on the VSGPD. Perhaps Mr. Cash had a bad time in the military, maybe even had some conduct issues and is trying to make up for it now and hide behind his status as a “vetran”.
Whatever the case may be, it is certainly not my place to pass judgement on anybody. When I wear this uniform and play the Military set, I do it to honor each and every one of our military men, past and present. In addition to being former Navy, myself, my father served in the US Air Force, and both of my grandfathers served their countries as well. My maternal grandfather once served under GENERAL Eisenhower, and my paternal grandfather served in the Navy. I concur with Pipe Major Dave regarding his sentiments that he will not stand for any disrespect against our service men and women.
In response to Julie:
The song that was sung in front of the Blue Ribbon Society Tent is called “The Tale of the Scotsman” Here are the lyrics:
A Scotsman clad in kilt left a bar one evening fair. And one could tell from how he walked that he drunk more than his share, He stumbled around until he no longer kept his feet, and stumbled off into the grass beside the street to sleep.
Ring dum diddle liddle lie de oh, da ring dum diddly ay oh, he stumbled off into the grass beside the street to sleep.
Well about that time, to young and lovely girls just happened by. And one said to the other, with a twinkle in her eye, see yon sleeping scotsman, so young and handsome built, I wonder if its true what they don’t wear beneath their kilt.
Ring dum diddle liddle lie de oh, da ring dum diddly ay oh, I wonder if its true what they don’t wear beneath their kilt.
They crept up on that sleeping scot, as quiet as can be; and lifted up his kilt, about an inch so they could see. And there, behold, for them to view, beneath this Scottish skirt, was nothing more than God had graced him with upon his birth.
Ring dum diddle liddle lie de oh, da ring dum diddly ay oh, was nothing more than God had graced him with upon his birth.
Well, they marveled for a moment, then one said “we must be gone. Lets leave a present for our friend before we move along.” And as a gift, they tied a blue silk ribbon into a bow, around the bonnie spar the lifted kilt of his did show.
Ring dum diddle liddle lie de oh, da ring dum diddly ay oh, around the bonnie spar the lifted kilt of his did show.
Well, the scotsman woke to nature’s call and stumbled towards a tree, he lifted up his kilt, and then he gawks at what he sees. And in a startled voice he says, to that before his eyes, “Ay, Lad I don’t know where you’ve been, but I see you’ve won first prize.”
Ring dum diddle liddle lie de oh, da ring dum diddly ay oh, Ay Lad I don’t know where you’ve been, but I see you’ve won first prize.
There is one more verse to that tune. I cannot remember the words, but it is on the verge of being X- rated, so we wont go there, this is a family site.
Pipemajor David Hinton, VSGPD.
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