Said Jamie: "It gets the goosebumps going. I know my granddad and granny get pretty emotional when the low jets come over. RAF has been in our family for years now."

Colin, who serves as the P-8A Poseidon Deputy Operational Test Director, grew up just like Jamie, the son of an RAF officer who went to boarding school. The Gillans "moved house" wherever Colin's work would take them every two to three years, but Jamie's life -- especially as he grew into a teenager -- remained relatively stable in boarding school, where he thrived as a student and a fly half on the rugby team. Still, he was tasked with making new friends and adjusting to different cultures every few years.

Jamie viewed each opportunity as a new challenge, one that made him to focus more on the "hellos" and less on the "goodbyes" he'd have to say every time he moved.

"I really enjoyed it. I'm thankful for my dad serving his country, our country," Jamie said. "I had to get used to it from a young age and making new friends, but I thought it was great. It made me cultured and I got pretty good at making friends fast. That was the only reason I chose to go to boarding school so I wasn't changing education too much.

"It's been a fun life because of it. I wouldn't be standing here right now with you if he didn't take a job in America."

The opportunity for the big move came at a time when Jamie's rugby career was really starting to take off. Both he and his father believe he was headed down a path toward representing Scotland on the national team, but duty called overseas. Jamie noticed his father wasn't thrilled with his desk job in London, and the opportunity in Maryland would allow him to get back to what he loved most.

Jamie still remembers the call he got from his father the day he learned he was headed to the U.S. His reaction?