r to speak at Muster • Page 5A Opinion: Bonfire memorial funds • Page 5B
Texas A&M University
www.thebatt.com
Monday, April 21, 2003
April 21, 2003
erald Easterly has spent the best parts of his
life taking experiences away from Texas A&M and giv
ing them back in return, sending his descendants to the
school whose traditions he embraces and reflecting on
what A&M has taught him about life.
At 82, Easterly, Class of 1942, considers himself the
most “bragginest” and blessed grandpa in Texas. Not
only did he and his two sons graduate from A&M, but
all four of his grandchildren currently attend.
But Easterly has more to be proud of, such as serving
in World War II starting as a private and working his
way up to the rank of first lieutenant.
Following his graduation, Easterly joined a
National Guard unit in Connecticut. Because the out
fit had its own structure and the commander did not
like Texas, Easterly said there was not an opportunity
for him to be promoted.
“It was all political,” Easterly said. “(There) was no
way a person like me would be promoted, but I wasn’t
trying to be promoted as much as I was trying to survive.”
When he first joined the Connecticut outfit, the ser
geant he was working under was jealous of his college
and prior military training, so he attempted to put him
on the spot, Easterly said. The sergeant told Easterly
to drill the other soldiers and Easterly said he put them
all in their places.
“From then on I had the respect of the guys, I don’t
know about the officers, but the guys that I bunked with
from then on was good fellowship,” Easterly said. “So
that old boy did me a favor and didn’t know it.”
All that changed when the outfit got a new com
mander who singled Easterly out one day. The com
mander had reviewed his record and had seen his col
lege background at Texas A&M.
“He asked me what the heck I was doing in the back
row,” Easterly said. “I told him I didn’t know how to
explain it, so he made me a buck sergeant.”
After the promotion, Easterly was involved in jungle
training on an island near the Philippines in the South
Pacific, where he was eligible to apply for officer train
ing school.
Along with 17,000 other troops on the island, Easterly
went through weeks of vigorous training, demonstrating
his talents and skills before a group of officers.
“At the end of the week, they selected five people out of
17,000 troops,” Easterly said. “I was No. 2 out of the five.”
He was then flown back to a base in Georgia to begin
training soldiers for the front lines of war.
Easterly said when he first began his military career,
See Muster on page 5 A
STORY BY: Melissa Sullivan PHOTOS BY: John C. Livas
DESIGN BY: Sommer Bunce, Ruben Deluna, Brandie Liffick, John C.
Livas & Nicole Steen
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