Squadron Leader Colin Gillan, RAF, the P-8A deputy operational test director for Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 1, right, poses for a photo with his son, Jamie Gillan, who has recently signed with the Cleveland Browns, in front of a P-8A Poseidon assigned to VX-1. U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Victoria Kinney
Jamie Gillan, also known as the “Scottish Hammer” and son of Squadron Leader Colin Gillan, RAF, has signed with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns!
Jamie, a native of Scotland and a Leonardtown High School graduate, is the Brown’s new prospective kicker. He moved to Southern Maryland with his family when his father, a member of the Royal Air Force, took orders to Naval Air Systems Command 2013, and now serves as the P-8A Deputy Operational Test Director.
“I was a little concerned about leaving one of the top schools in Scotland and potentially a high level of rugby,” said Jamie. “I decided to seize the opportunity to live in the USA, and to be with my family.”
“It was entertaining getting to watch him play in high school,” said Colin. “He really had no idea what to do, so he was thrown in the deep end and got knocked down a few times, but he adapted quickly.”
Colin believes being raised in a military family has helped teach Jamie to seize the best opportunities and to make the most of his time where ever he is.
“For Jamie, rugby was generally the ice-breaker for making new friends,” said Colin. “By the time he reached University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, he had attended seven schools in Scotland, England and the USA. Both my children are very good at being forward-leaning when it comes to making friends and grabbing opportunities to socialize, because they have to adapt to military life.”
“If my dad hadn’t taken that job, I would never have gotten here,” said Jamie. “They pushed me to get good grades and work on myself…There are so many people that have such roles and I had the easiest one, just kick the ball.”
Jamie was selected for a full scholarship at Arkansas-Pine Bluff where he set records and improved his skills. Jamie then took the opportunity to travel to a scouting camp, where he was able to show off his namesake “Scottish Hammer” talents. Now Jamie has been signed by the Cleveland Browns, and the official kicker and punter positions will be announced in the upcoming weeks.
Colin says he is happy to have Jamie a little closer to their home in Maryland.
“We’ll be heading to Ohio,” said Colin. “The journey is far less arduous than Arkansas-Pine Bluff.”
The above article was originally posted on the AIRTEVRON ONE (VX-1 Facebook Page.
A variety of operational aircraft are assigned to VX-1 including the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, P-8A Poseidon, MH-60R & MH-60S Seahawk, and MQ-8B Firescout aircraft. Additionally, VX-1 provides test and evaluation support for such diverse programs as the EP-3 Aires, E-6B Mercury, KC-130J Hercules, E-2C Hawkeye, Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS), Small Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (STUAS), Navy Tactical/Mobile (TacMobile), Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), and a host of Airborne Mine Countermeasures (AMCM) systems.
As ASW operations change to meet evolving threats by potentially hostile submarines, so too does the nature of projects assigned for evaluation. At any one time, the squadron is engaged in over 30 projects involving weapons system evaluations and investigations of electronic, acoustic, and non-acoustic methods of submarine detection, classification, and localization. VX-1 is also responsible for Navy Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (NTTP) publications.
