Page 8E/The Battalion/Monday, Sept. 2,1985
Remembrance...
Ring
A&M’s Silver Taps allows Aggies
a chance to pay final respects
Muster
Service honors Aggies
who died in past year
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By RENEE HARRELL
Reporter
Silent Aggies gather in the dark
outside the Academic Building.
Slowly a circle forms around the
Lawrence Sullivan Ross statue. They
wait for the memorial to begin.
This is Silver Taps — one of the
oldest Aggie traditions.
It is the first Tuesday night of the
month. There is no hustle, no hurry
here. The crowd solemnly awaits the
Ross Volunteer firing squad.
It’s 10:30 p.m. 1 he slow, steady
beat of the funeral march is heard.
Then silence.
“First order . . . ready . . . aim . . .
fire!”
The firing squad begins its 21-gun
salute as the bronze statue of “Sul
Ross” looks on. After the third vol
ley, six buglers begin to play “Taps.”
Three times it sounds — once to the
north, once to the east and once to
the west.
The silent Aggies depart.
This is Silver Taps — a final fare
well to Aggies who have lost their
lives during the course of a month.
Although the complete history of
this tradition remains unknown, it is
said that the first Silver Taps was
held in 1898 for Lawrence Sullivan
Ross, governor of Texas from 1886
to 1890 and president of Texas
A&M from 1891 to 1898.
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“ Tonight I experienced one of the most solemn feel
ings I’ve ever had and feel so good inside. Mom, Dad, it
was just like God, Himself, was there with us ”
— Don Coward in 1968.
an assigned date soon afterwards we
The first Silver Taps ceremonies
were held in front of Old Main,
which once stood where the Aca
demic Building now stands. Later
the ceremony moved to Goodwin
Hall. But Silver Taps returned to its
former site in 1918. The Academic
Building had taken the place of Old
Main.
During the 1920s, the flag at the
main flag pole was flown at half-
mast for the first time, according to
the University Archives.
And those attending Silver Taps
in the 1930s would be among the
first to hear the music of “Silver
Taps” It was at this time that two
buglers arranged and played the
melody.
Silvet Taps is held the first Tues
day of each month during the fall
and spring if Aggies have died over
the month past. The only exception
is the ceremony held on the second
Tuesday in September for Aggies
who have died during the summer.
The names of the deceased Ag
gies are posted on the base of the
flagpole in front of the Academic
Building on the day of Silver Taps.
Notices of the ceremony also are
posted around the campus, and rela
tives and friends of the deceased are
reserved a spot behind the statue of
“Sully.” '
Don Coward, an A&M freshman,
wrote this letter to his parents about
a Silver Taps he saw in October
1968:
“Dear Mom and Dad,
“Right now it’s 11:00 and Call to
Quarters is over. I should be in bed,
but there’s something I have to tell
you both first. I’m sitting here at my
desk with tears in my eyes and think
ing more about life, itself, than I
ever have before.
“Tm not crying because of what
Tm going through — but rather be
cause I’ve experienced tonight what
A&M is all about. Mother and Dad,
we’re one big family here and now I
know what it means to be an Aggie.
Tonight was Silver Taps.
“In case you don’t know what that
is, Tm going to tell you and you’ve
got to listen. Anytime a student here
loses his life -— no matter how — on
ignfll
have what is called Si}ver Taps. Ev
eryone gathers in front of the Aca
demic Building, in front of which is
a flag pole on which Silver Taps no
tices are posted.
“No one says a word from the
time we leave the dorms until the
next morning. All is quiet and all the
lights on campus are turned off.
Even lights on the Coke machines
are covered.
“At 10:30, when everyone is in
place in front of the Academic
Building, a firing team fires a 21-
gun salute in honor of those who
died. Then buglers play Silver Taps
and it’s over.
“Tonight I experienced one of the
most solemn feelings I’ve ever had
and feel so good inside. Mom, Dad,
it was just like God, Himself, was
there With us. I guess you’re wishing
I would grow up and quit carrying
on like this over Silver Taps — but it
was so, I can’t ever tell you how it
was, there’s nothing else like it.
“Be careful and I love you both.
“DC.”
Three weeks after Coward wrote
this letter to his parents, Silver Taps
was held again — this time for Cow
ard and two of his Company C-l
buddies who were killed in a Denton
County automobile accident.
Silver Taps will take place on Sept
10.
One of the most unique and re
vered Aggie traditions is Muster, a
ceremony that remembers Aggies
who have died during the past year.
Muster is celebrated by Aggies all
over the world on San Jacinto Day,
April 21.
During the ceremony, a roll call of
the deceased is read and a living
comrade answers “here” in their
stead.
United States, the report gave pen
pie back Home hope.
In 1943, the title of the battle wai
turning in the United States’favor
Musters were held on the small &
land of Guadalcanal, on the bead
head at Anzio under fire, in Afria
and on the Rhine.
At the 1944 Muster ceremony it
First held in 1883, Muster started
as a social event for alumni to relive
their college days.
During World War I, Muster was
held on foreign soil for the first
time. Although Aggies met in Euro
pean foxholes and army posts as well
as in American camps. Muster was
not held on the A&M campus.
Nazi planes fleii
Muster gained national recogni
tion during World War II when a
group of Aggies held a ceremony
while under fire on Corregidor Is
land in the Phillipines. Under the
command of General George
Moore, Class of 1908, 24 men cele
brated Muster, only 15 days before
the island fell to the Japanese. All
these men were either killed or cap
tured.
News of the Muster was one of the
last messages to come from the area.
Despite the bleak outlook for the
> n y
Naples, Italy, a news correspondeit
reported that Aggies sang the A|
War Hymn while
overhead.
'The 1942 Congress coniine®
orated the Aggie heroes at Correp
dor, and at A&M a unique Mustn
ceremony began
During the 1943 ceremony in Col
lege Station, a poem by Dr. Join
Ashton, Class of 1906, was reatlani
a friend answered “here" as tin
heroes of Corregidor were called
Muster has changed slightly inthi
late 1970s when a candlehghtingcet
emony was added.
The Muster program is coord
nated by the Student Governmet
Muster Committee. It is held in
Rollie White Col iseurn and inclui
speakers, a roll call for the
and music by the Singing Cades
the Aggie Band. The Ross V’oli
teers Firing Squad gives three Je
gun volleys and ’Silver Taps'
played three times by an uit
bugler.
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