Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets
|
|
The Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets (often The Corps of Cadets or simply The Corps) is an organization at Texas A&M University that trains students in the ways of the military with the option of a commission to the armed forces upon graduation. The Corps trains more military officers than any school in the United States, apart from the United States military academies.
| Contents |
History
The Corps of Cadets is as old as the school itself, founded in 1876 when Texas A&M University was an all-male military college. Membership in the Corps became voluntary in 1965. Current membership is around 2,000 students. The Corps is now a co-educational institution, and fifteen of its twenty-nine outfits are gender-integrated units.
Members of the Corps have served in every conflict fought by the United States since the Spanish-American War in 1898. More members of the Corps served as Officers in World War II than from any other service academy, with 18,000 Aggies serving. Over 225 Aggies have been promoted to General or other Flag Officer in the military, and seven former students have been awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military award in the United States.
Organization
The Corps is divided up into four major units, association with a branch of the armed services in parentheses: The Wing (United States Air Force), The Brigade (United States Army), The Regiment (United States Navy), and The The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band. These major units are comprised of minor units, groups or battalions, that are comprised of separate companies or squadrons.
Rank
By tradition, the highest-ranking member of the Corps is the "First Lady" of Texas A&M, a collie known as "Reveille". She is the school's official mascot (http://aggietraditions.tamu.edu/reveille.shtml/). She is present at all A&M football games and numerous other A&M functions.
In cadet rank, one diamond is a Cadet Major, two a Cadet Lieutenant Colonel, three a Cadet Colonel, and four the Cadet Colonel of the Corps. There are officially no Cadet Generals in all of ROTC. Due to the quantity of officers Texas A&M contributed in World War II, Reveille was given the honorary title of Cadet General. Since the rank itself does not exist, cadets took it upon themselves to create the rank insignia: five diamonds. To create this rank each year, cadets combine a two diamond rank insignia and a three diamond rank insignia and carefully place them together, so that even when closely inspected it looks like five diamonds. Due to the similarity, this is often confused with the military rank of five-star general.
Ross Volunteers
The Ross Volunteers (RVs) are the Honor Guard for the Governor of the state of Texas. The RVs dress in distinctive white uniforms and perform a 21 gun salute at each Silver Taps held for Aggie students and faculty who have died each month during the school year.
Class System
As a member of the Corps, a cadet climbs through four classes of seniority.
As a freshman, the cadet is called a "fish". A "fish" is known by his short haircut, his bider that has no braid on it, and a cotton black belt. "Fish" in the Corps are not known by their first name. The generic title "fish Jones" can be heard across the campus when an upperclassman wishes to call attention to a freshman whose name he does not know. "Fish" sit a mandatory Call to Quarters (CQ) during the school week after evening chow. This allows a period of uninterrupted study each night. Fish meet other members of the Corps by "Whipping Out" to upperclassmen. The fish introduces himself with "Howdy fish Jones is my name Sir!" The upperclassmen and the freshman then trade names and information about hometown and major. The freshman's fellow members of his outfit are known as "fish buddies".
As a sophomore, the cadet is called a "pisshead". The sophomore year is a busy and hectic second year in the Corps. "Pissheads" are denoted by their typically stern demeanor and black braids on their biders. The "pissheads" are responsible for seeing that the "fish" adapt and excel in Corps life.
As a junior, the cadet is called a "sergebutt" In the junior year, life in the Corps hits its stride. The Corps junior, with his distinctive white braid and belt often finds this to be the most productive and engaging year in the Cadet Corps. The junior class runs the daily operations of the Corps.
As a senior, the cadet is called a "zip". A senior cadet is known by his or her distinctive tan leather riding boots. The boots, which are hand made at Holick's Bootmakers in College Station, Texas, are extremely distictive and add a formal flair to the senior's new gold Aggie Class Ring. The ring is the symbol of the university and one's graduating class. Seniors share a unique one year experience as their four years in the Corps come to a close.
Hazing
Although the Corps of Cadets' immersive leadership environment is widely considered to have significant advantages over traditional ROTC programs, there has been some debate as to whether replacing the Corps with a more orthodox program would produce better officers for the modern military and its role in the world. In particular, hazing has been a lingering issue for the Corps, and it has lead to expulsions and prosecutions in some cases.
The Parsons Mounted Cavalry, a unit of the Corps, was suspended in October 2002 after an alleged hazing incident (http://www.thebatt.com/news/2003/04/28/FrontPage/Student.Involved.In.Hazing.May.Be.Expelled-513724.shtml) involving accusations of assault with axe handles and dousing with a mixture of horse feces and water. In May 2003, a temporary injunction (http://www.uh.edu/ednews/2004/bcseagle/200402/20040224hazinghearing.html) was enacted, barring the University from taking further disciplinary action against the Cadets accused of hazing. In August 2004, a formal decision by a Texas judge awarded (http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/news/state/081404_APstate_aggiessuit.html) about $349,000 to a group of cadets and former cadets who had accused the University of violating their civil rights during the investigation. However, the decision did not clear the cadets of wrongdoing.
It should be noted that University Policy (http://student-rules.tamu.edu/append6.htm/) is more restrictive than state law regarding hazing and Corps Policy (http://cadets.tamu.edu/documents/standard/Standard.pdf) is more strict than Univesity policy. In the Corps, punitive physical correction, including pushups, is only permitted 1.5 hours every day on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. During these sessions, cadets are only permitted to perform forty repetitions of pushups or situps during a two minute span. Once this two minute period is over, cadets must be given ten minutes to rest. New cadets are not permitted to do the full set until they can get used to the physical exertion. If forty repetitions is not reached in the alloted timespan, cadets must still be given a full ten minute break.
Under Corps regulations, should any cadet subject his subordinates to physical punishment outside these limits, he is guilty of hazing. Should any cadet permit himself to be subjected to any physical punishment outside these parameters, he is also guilty of hazing. Any cadet who knows of such an incident is guilty of hazing. This is not the common defintion of hazing, which is usually associated with the 1950s beatings and physical assault perpetrated by many fraternities and military schools.
See also
External link
- Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets (http://www.aggiecorps.org/)