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| Spanning the
Florida Panhandle, from Pensacola to
Tallahassee |
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| Muster 2007: Another Great Muster at Hurlburt
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Muster 2007 Guest Speaker:
Van H. Taylor '71
President, The Association of Former Students, 2006
Van Taylor ‘71 and wife, Carole
Emerald Coast A&M Club Muster Speaker, 2007
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Muster 2007 was held at the Hurlburt Field Soundside Club for the final time in that location, on Saturday, April 21st. Photos of the event
Guest Speaker: Van Taylor '71
The Immediate Past President of The Association of Former Students, Van Taylor ‘71, has graciously accepted our invitation to be our guest speaker. �Van and his wife, Carole, will travel from their home in Bryan to join us. He retired as President of Network Services for the Southwest Region of AT&T in December 2005 and his career of more than 34 years included operations and engineering assignments throughout Texas as well as in Kansas, Missouri and New Jersey. Van received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University in May 1971 and subsequently earned an MBA in 1975 from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. During his senior year at Texas A&M, he was Corps Commander, a member of the Ross Volunteers and the first recipient of the coveted Rudder Award. Van currently serves on the Dwight Look College of Engineering Advisory Council and has previously been a member of both the OPAS Statewide Advisory Council and Texas A&M University's Vision 2020 Task Force. In Dallas, he currently serves on the Executive Board of the Circle Ten Council of the Boy Scouts. He has served as Corporate Chairman of the Juvenile Diabetes Walk to Cure Diabetes in Kansas City and is a graduate of the Leadership Kansas program. While a Missouri resident, Van was elected to two terms as a city Alderman in the community of Clarkson Valley, Missouri. He is a past president of the Arlington A&M Club, as well as a former Muster Chairman for the St. Louis A&M Club. Prior to being elected as President Elect of The Association of Former Students, Van served three years as Chair of the Fundraising Committee. Fish Camp recognized his service to Texas A&M recently by designating him as a Fish Camp Namesake for 2007, where a Fish Camp will bear his name. He and Carole have four daughters, Suzannah '97, Sally, Kaycee '05, and Melissa.
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| View of a past tradition: View down US Hwy 98 (gold dual lane highway) from the West, looking East. Santa Rosa Sound is on the right, and Hurlburt Field is to the left. The Club will be demolished this summer to make way for a new Air Force Special Operations Conference Center. 
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| Previous Musters: Muster 2006
Previous Musters: Muster 2005
Previous Musters: Muster 2004
Previous
Musters: Muster 2003
Previous
Musters: Muster 2002
Previous
Musters: Muster 2001
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The Muster
Tradition |
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On April 21,
1946 General of the Army Douglas
MacArthur sent a message from his office
as Supreme Allied Commander for the
Allied Forces to Aggies. It is quoted in
its entire text below:
Sons of Texas A&M
On Corregidor - 21 April 1946
In this hallowed soil lie the mortal
remains of many men who have died that
liberty might live. Among the bravest of
these brave are twenty officers, sons of
Texas A&M, unable themselves to
answer this year's annual muster. It is
for us, therefore, to do so for them --
to answer for them in clear and firm
voice -- Dead on the battleswept
Corregidor where their eternal spirit
will never die but will march on forever,
inspiring in those who follow the courage
and the will to preserve well that for
which they bled.
Of them and those of their fellow alumni
who lie in hallowed soil of other lands
and those who survive them, may it truly
be said that in the noble teachings of
their Alma Mater -- in the tradition of
the great American leader, Sam Houston,
who this day, one hundred and ten years
ago, wrested Texas from foreign dominion
by defeating Santa Ana on the historic
battlefield of San Jacinto - they stood
steadfast, unyielding and unafraid
through those dark days of our country's
gravest peril - and by inspiring example
helped point the way.
Signed - Douglas MacArthur
Softly Call The Muster, The Evolution of
a Texas Aggie Tradition, John A. Adams,
Jr '73
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Aggie Gram -
April 20, 2004, Volume 7, issue 37
Muster Aggie Gram
For the past several years a special
Muster Aggie Gram has been published.
Comments each year continue to reflect
that it continues to support everyone's
desire prepare for Muster. In response to
those comments the Muster Aggie Gram is
being republished with some small
modifications.
As Aggies, we will observe our greatest
tradition on April 21 - The Aggie Muster.
Through this observance, we renew our
A&M values by participating in the
singular tradition that uniquely
recharges our Aggie Spirit as we remember
classmates, Texas A&M, the state of
Texas, and the United States.
This year Aggies again will gather while
serving our nation in combat. For many
the sharp change that Muster 1943 made to
A&M traditions will be more focused
then ever before as we recall the memory
of the gallant men of Corregidor.
However, this article is not meant to
simply retell the story of Muster. We all
know how it started and what it means to
each of us. Instead, I suggest you allow
the article to sustain your thoughts
about A&M and Muster as you prepare
for this year's observance.
THE GENESIS: Muster's origins are found
in the state celebration of Sam Houston's
defeat of Santa Ana at the Battle of San
Jacinto on April 21, 1836 and the winning
of Texas Independence.
THE EARLY HISTORY: Accounts of San
Jacinto Day celebrations at A&M are
noted as early as 1879. In those early
years, campus holiday observances ranged
from picnics to solemn ceremonies. To the
faculty, it was a day of honor. To the
Corps of Cadets, it represented a spring
holiday away from classes.
The first uniquely Aggie addition to the
observance occurred in the spring of 1883
when the Ex-Cadets Association
established the "Roll Call for the
Absent." In 1889, the college
administration made April 21 an official
A&M holiday and set the day aside as
the annual cadet track and field day.
Some say the real linkage between San
Jacinto Day and Aggies began in 1903 when
A&M President Davis Houston attempted
to cancel the April 21st field day
activities.
Confronted by a student body of over 300
determined to keep the holiday, Houston
relented. He then urged the cadets to use
the holiday for some sort of constructive
activity. From that confrontation came
the annual Cadet Field Day.
INITIAL CHANGES: America's entry into the
"European War," changed the
focus of San Jacinto Day. The Class of
1917, graduated in a special ceremony at
Camp Funston, found themselves on April
21, 1918 scattered all over France. They
renewed their ties to A&M by
"pledging A&M and all our
brothers over there and here in the wine
of France." For sure, their emphasis
was no longer sports oriented.
While World War One refocused April 21st
away from a day of on-campus sports,
A&M President Bizzell is credited for
ensuring the off campus change was
permanent. He strongly endorsed April
21st, as the "appropriate day for
students and former students to assemble
and, thereby, became the first A&M
President to truly support San Jacinto
Day.
With Bizzell's support, the 1920s saw the
beginnings of A&M clubs and a more
formalized approach to San Jacinto Day.
The first significant April 21st
celebration occurred in 1922 in Waco. In
1923, the student radio station WTAW
broadcast a statewide program for more
than two-dozen Aggie gatherings across
Texas. In 1924, the Texas Aggie's
headline banner proclaimed "IN EVERY
TOWN WHERE THERE ARE AS MANY AS TWO
AGGIES LET US HAVE A MEETING APRIL
21." In 1924 Cadet Col. of the Corps
H. L. Roberts "read the roll call of
the dead." In 1927, Taps were played
in honor of the dead. In 1928, 23 former
students were added to the roll call. As
the decade ended, A&M clubs hosted
organized events and observances
throughout Texas and in Panama, Mexico,
and Guatemala.
San Jacinto Day was refocused again in
the 1930's, a decade more different than
any America had experienced. As W.W. I.
faded into the background and the harsh
realities of the "Great
Depression" became an every day
event, April 21st often was referred to
as simply "A. and M. Day" and
served directly the needs of Aggies.
On-campus, The Association of Former
Students created a student loan program
and a job placement plan. Off-campus
A&M clubs used the April 21st
observances to raise money to support The
Associations efforts.
A NEW FOCUS: W. W. II and the 1940s
changed the way Aggies celebrated San
Jacinto Day forever and ultimately
created the Muster ceremony we know
today. In Aggie lore, the change is
attributed to Major General George F.
Moore '08.
BACKGROUND: As a Colonel, Moore was
Commandant of Cadets at A&M from
1937-1940. Consequently, he was very
conscious of A&M's support of San
Jacinto Day celebrations. In early 1941,
then Brigadier General Moore was
commanding the turn-of-the-century
fortifications on Corregidor Island he
had the mission to defend the tiny island
at all costs and protect Manila Bay and
Manila Harbor. Should America retreat
from Bataan, Corregidor was to provide
back-up support.
It is difficult today to envision how
bleak the free world was in 1942. The
Japanese appeared invincible as they
expanded their empire across the Pacific.
America's morale seemed non-existent as
Japan gained victory after victory
against American forces. In March 1942,
the President ordered General Douglas
MacArthur to evacuate the Philippines.
MacArthur's last words to Moore were,
"Hold Corregidor."
On April 9, 1942 Bataan surrendered to
the Japanese. The "Rock," as
its defenders called Corregidor Island,
became the last refuge for Americans.
Over the next month, Corregidor would
earn its reputation as one of the
fiercest battles of the 20th century.
THE EVENT: In mid-April the American
defense on Corregidor was entering it's
most desperate period and the nation
needed something to fuel America's will
to win. Not knowing he was doing anything
other than organizing a possible San
Jacinto Day, Major General Moore asked
Major Tom Dooley '35 and aide-de-camp to
Lieutenant General Wainwright, for a list
of the Aggies assigned to the
"Rock." Dooley, head yell
leader at A&M in 1934-35, provided 24
names. Moore's intent was to discuss with
those Aggies the upcoming San Jacinto
Day.
Because of the intensity of the battle
the Ags never did get together. Instead,
Moore used Dooley's updated list of 25
Aggies to conduct a roll call -- in Army
terms a muster -- of the Aggies present
on the "Rock" during the
Japanese siege. In reaching out to each
other, these 25 Aggies risked their lives
to honor their beliefs and values in
Texas A&M. Knowing that Muster could
soon be called for them, these Aggies
embodied the essence of commitment,
dedication, and friendship - the Aggie
Spirit.
Dooley, working with the UP
correspondent, then sent to the USA a
short article with a list of the Aggie
names who had "Mustered." That
April 1942 wire press story from
Corregidor Island told Americans about
Texas Aggies celebrating San Jacinto Day
on the "Rock" while under
Japanese siege. That article also became
the impetus for other news stories of the
"Lone Star on the Rock." With
parallels to the spirit of the Alamo and
San Jacinto, the Corregidor Aggies
quickly captured America's imagination
and, during the darkest days of 1942,
provided a much-needed boost to America's
determination to win.
There are many legends of how the
Corregidor Aggies celebrated San Jacinto
Day. However, contrary to most accounts,
they never gathered together on April 21,
1942 and they never, as legend states,
"drank a toast in water to the
heroes of 1836." It was just not
possible to leave their defensive
positions during the heavy and intense
bombardment they were enduring.
On May 6, 1942, LTG Wainwright
surrendered the American forces at
Corregidor to the Japanese. Of the 11,000
defenders, 400 survived the brutal and
inhumane Japanese POW camps. Twelve
survivors were Aggies. Their fate,
unknown in 1942, was not to be forgotten.
After the war, the full story of
Corregidor came out.
MUSTER REPLACES SAN JACINTO DAY: The
Dooley wire press story served as the
catalyst to transform the A&M San
Jacinto Day celebrations into what we
know today as the Aggie Muster. If that
small group of Ags, on an isolated
outpost during World War Two, began the
transformation of San Jacinto Day into
what would become A&M's greatest
tradition, then it was The Association of
Former Students Executive Secretary E. E.
McQuillen Class of '20 who was the
impetus to give it lasting form and
substance.
McQuillen changed the 1943 San Jacinto
Day celebration into an Aggie Muster
ceremony to first capture and then
remember the spirit of the Aggies on
Corregidor.
Using the term muster and the events of
Corregidor as his theme, he sent the
first ever Muster packets to A&M
clubs, Aggie Moms clubs and military
bases around the world in February 1943.
Those packets contained a detailed
program, greetings from the A&M
President, and a Muster Poem about
Corregidor "The Heroes' Roll
Call." The response to McQuillen's
call to muster was over whelming. World
wide 10,000 Aggies attended 500 Musters.
In 1944, McQuillen added a list of
recently deceased Aggies to the packet.
The introduction to the "Roll
Call" noted, "This little
ceremony is our tribute to the memory of
friends who have passed away. Insert the
names and classes of the men whose names
you want to call., these of course are
symbolic of all those who have died....
[and] as each name is called a comrade
will answer 'Here!'"
THE TRADITION BEGINS: As the war ended,
two events gave the Muster Ceremony the
permanence we know today as the
traditional solemn ceremony of
remembrance.
The first event occurred in April 1945,
eight weeks after the "Rock"
was recaptured. Marine LTC Ormond Simpson
'36, Maj. R. N. "Dick" Conolly
'37, and Lt. Tommy Martin '40
"Mustered on the Rock." Their
letters to McQuillan detailed their
impromptu Muster and signified that the
Aggies had returned. One year later on
April 21, 1946 there was a much larger
Muster on the Rock.
The second event occurred on Easter
Morning 1946. Fifteen thousand Aggies
gathered in the North end of Kyle Field
to listen to General of the Army Dwight
D. Eisenhower, the keynote speaker at the
1946 Kyle Field Victory Homecoming
Muster. They also watched in silence as
Lt. Col Tom Dooley presented the
"Muster Tradition."
To represent the more than 900 Aggies who
gave their lives on all fronts in W.W.
II, Roll Call for the Victory Muster
consisted of just four names. Those names
were the deceased W.W. II Aggie Medal of
Honor winners.
TRADITION ESTABLISHED: Almost forty years
later, in late 1983, there was a
short-lived effort to change the Muster
1984 date because of a preconceived
conflict with Easter. Then Colonel Don
Johnson '55 wrote the Muster Committee,
"Any consideration to changing the
ceremony to another date, especially on
campus, would be a move away from the
basic reason for holding Aggie Muster.
Aggie Muster was never intended to
interfere with the observance of Easter
or any other secular holiday, but as a
solemn ceremony of remembrance. Aggies
will Muster the world over on April 21,
1984 to meet old friends, to remember,
and to renew their loyalty to each other
and to our great university."
He added, "I hope that each
committee will heed the following words
of Paul Cooper, Chairman of the 1983
Muster Committee: 'In our world of
change, we long for the things which have
a continuing heritage. This year's
program marks the 100 observance of Aggie
Muster (San Jacinto Day), an event which
perseveres because it embodies Aggie
Spirit, the common thread we all
cherish.'" He ended his letter by
saying, "Let us never lose our
values which set Aggies apart and enable
us to share our unique culture.'"
In response to Johnson's letter, Muster
1984 was observed on Easter Sunday.
MUSTER: Century-old roots provide the
foundation for many of the traditions
incorporated within the Muster tradition
Aggies know today - a time-honored
reflection and celebration of those
initiatives and gallant acts that have
made Texas and America a place of
independence, freedom, and peace.
Just like San Jacinto Days, and A. and M.
Days, Muster has changed over the years.
The tone and character of Muster 1943 was
certainly different then the relaxed
"bull sessions" of the years
leading up to it. However, the Spirit, in
which it was established, remains the
same.
Since the beginning, every Aggie has
become a part of the Aggie Spirit. Muster
unites Texas A&M and the Aggie
family, allows us to reflect on A&M,
old friends, and those who have passed on
during the previous year. It encompasses
the spirit of hundreds of thousands of
Aggies who have gone before us.
Most importantly, however, Muster allows
us to remember the Aggie Spirit and
recharge it within ourselves. As we all
know, it is that Aggie Spirit which makes
Texas A&M different from all other
colleges and universities and
organizations.
A&M may change, but as long as there
is an April 21st Muster, the Aggie Spirit
never will. "Some may boast of
prowess bold.... But there's a spirit
that can ne'er be told, it's the Spirit
of Aggieland."
The primary source supporting this
article is the wonderful book by John A.
Adams '73 Softly Call The Muster, The
Evolution of a Texas Aggie Tradition.
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| Contact:Randy�Durham�(Randy)�[email protected]�218
Windsong
Court��Niceville,�FL�32578-4806�United
States of America�Phone:
(850)
897-3774�Fax:�(850)
897-0103� |
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