Wahiawa native Gail Gillespie may not have had the best seat in the house for the inauguration of President Obama, but it was definitely one of the closest.

Gillespie was about 25 feet away from the president. Her presidential proximity is nothing new, however. Since 1981, she has claimed a front-row seat at the inaugurations of Ronald Reagan during his two terms, of George H.W. Bush, of Bill Clinton for two terms, and ditto for George W. Bush.

Master Gunnery Sgt. Gillespie, a 1973 Punahou grad (yes, another one), has been a flutist with "The President's Own," the United States Marine Band, for 30 years.

The Marine Band was established by an act of Congress signed by President John Adams on July 11, 1798, and is the oldest professional musical organization in the country.

The band is the only musical organization whose primary mission is to provide music for the president of the United States.

Gillespie was one of about 60 to 70 band members on a lower platform near the president during the inauguration.

"I am so grateful my career encompassed it, because it's so historic, and the crowd was so enthusiastic," Gillespie said by phone. "It was exciting to see that many people on the mall."

Of the eight inaugurations, it was the biggest turnout she's seen.

Gillespie said she's proud of Obama as a fellow Punahou grad. But she also remembers that when she went to college in Boston, there were riots over desegregation.

"To have come in this period of time to the point where the color of a man's skin does not keep him from the highest office in the land, is to me a wonderful affirmation that as human beings, we are growing about getting along together," Gillespie said.

Even though she was 25 feet from the president, she didn't have a clear view. "I leaned out just a little, and I could see the top half of his face," she said.

In addition to being a witness to history, Gillespie has had a few presidential brushes. She met Reagan on the steps of the White House.

"As a young member of the band, I was just astonished that here I was face to face with the president," she said.

She had "some conversations" with first lady Barbara Bush.

She got to shake hands with Bill and Hillary Clinton, and pose for a photo with George W. Bush, she said.

"A lot of times you are performing in very close quarters near them, but they are involved in matters of state, so they might smile at you, or even say, 'Thank you,' but you are doing your job, and they are doing theirs," said Gillespie, who was appointed principal flutist in 1983.

Gillespie was born and raised in Wahiawa, took up the flute at 11, and attended the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. After being part of the Vermont Symphony, she came across an audition notice for the the Marine Band.

"My sister, Sue — she was actually the first female full-time member of the Royal Hawaiian Band — ... had seen the opening and she said, 'I hear the Marine Band is good, why don't you take their audition?' "

Gillespie's Marine Corps career was born.

"I couldn't tell if I would like it, so I thought, it's a four-year commitment, and if I didn't like it after four years, I would leave — and I've loved it," she said.

Although she's subject to military protocol and the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Gillespie never had to attend boot camp, and the band is the only unit in the Marine Corps she's allowed to be in.

This June she is retiring after 30 years, and looking into moving from Springfield, Va., to Oregon or Washington state, "which will get me at least halfway to Hawai'i," she said.

FITNESS TESTS DUE FOR IMPROVEMENTS

Air Force personnel across the Pacific Air Forces area of responsibility soon will see a change in their fitness testing procedures as command officials move to centralize the testing under base health and wellness centers by March.

The Air Force overhauled its physical fitness test in 2004. The Air Force Times said 97 percent of airmen pass the test, but 55 percent of the force is still overweight, and 12 percent is obese by Air Force standards.

After receiving feedback from across the command, Gen. Howie Chandler, Pacific Air Forces commander, directed the changes for two primary reasons: The need for better standardization and what he said were unnecessary time demands on airmen administering the program at the unit level, the Air Force said.

Chandler is headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base.

The current program lacks standardization, Chandler said. He added that a recent assessment by the Air Force Audit Agency identified problems with the program.

Issues ranged from integrity lapses to inconsistency with program documentation procedures, the Air Force said. With fitness now reflecting on performance reports and affecting careers, a well-administered program is critical, Chandler said.

A centralized process at each base wing will help ensure a consistent standard with one team monitoring and testing airmen, the service said.

"Inherent in our job as airmen is to be fit to fight. This new process professionalizes our testing and standards and makes it less of a pick-up game," Chandler said.

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.