Happy Labor Day! Today was your sons' and daughters' first day of class. The first day of class, especially for freshmen, can be exciting and nerve-racking. However, it was also the first time for the freshmen to wear their uniforms around campus and I was very proud of the way they represented themselves and the outfit. This morning the Aggie Band had their first practice of the school year, and we were able to learn the entire drill, minus music, on the first day. I have no doubt this weekend will be one of the best first drills yet. In addition, we also had our first physical training session this afternoon and the freshmen showed very impressive effort. 

This Saturday, September 6th we will be having our first BBQ of the year. It will be held at 12:30 p.m. and sausage will be served. It will cost between $6-8. Outfit BBQs are a lot of fun and I really encourage all family members and friends to make it!

Here are some picture from evening formation on the first day of class.

Sophomores hard at work training the freshmen.

 

BTHO Lamar and Gig 'Em!

- Jordan Garcia

A-Company Commander

Thursday night the entire Corps had the opportunity to watch the Aggie Football Team BTHO the South Carolina Gamecocks in Duncan Dining Center. The freshmen sat on one side of Duncan while the upperclassmen sat on the other in order to give the freshmen the chance to relax with each other and reminisce about FOW. Hot dogs, nachos, and other beverages were provided in a fun atmosphere as the entire Corps watched The Aggies defeat the Gamecocks 52 to 28.

Afterward, the freshmen were put to sleep while the upperclassmen prepared for one of the best kept FOW secrets, the annual Airout. An "Airout" is when the freshmen are woken up an hour after they go to bed and led to Corps Plaza by their upperclassmen. When they arrive, the band is playing the War Hymn, and the entire Corps of Cadets Class of 2018 participates in their official yell practice. The Airout serves as a team building experience which signifies the completion of FOW training.

Freshmen rally around the A-Co Guidon, the physical symbol of the outfit

A-Co 1st SGT Andrew Hounsel and Combined Band Training SGT Peyton Fry experience their first Airout as Whitebelts 

The freshmen class bonding on their way back from the yell practice

After the yell practice was completed, the freshmen had some additional bonding time with their seniors where FOW stories from the past and present were exchanged. Lastly, the freshmen were awarded their Aggie Band Ringers, the official drill practice uniform of the Aggie Band. Whoop!

This Saturday, the freshmen officially completed FOW by participating the Fish Review. The freshmen took the cadet oath and are now officially members of the Corps of Cadets. It has been an exciting, motivating, and at times stressful past 10 days, but I am beyond proud of what the outfit has accomplished so far and eager to see where they go.  Please continue to visit this blog for updates on the entire outfit as we move forward. BTHO Lamar and Gig 'em.

- Jordan Garcia '15
  A-Company Commander

Today was a very exciting day for the freshmen! After a couple of days of hard work learning how to become freshmen, the fish took a break and participated in the annual Fightin' Texas Aggie FOW Water Fight. The water fight during FOW is a tradition in which the fish dress up with war paint and march out to Spence Park, where they are allowed to fill up their trash cans with water and engage in combat with other outfits. Traditionally, all the band outfits ban together to work against the C.T.'s (Non-Band Corps Members), but they also take the opportunity to drench their upperclassmen. The water fight provided much needed stress relief for the freshmen and also provided another opportunity to bond with their classmates. As we make the final push through FOW the freshmen will be learning how to properly wear the uniforms and preparing for Fish Review. Hoping to see many of you there!

Sounding the drums of war....

Before the action

fish Willis catches Infantry Band Drum Major Shaun Bruner off guard 

Wolves Run Together (Especially in Water Fights)

After the Water Fight with the Zips

- Jordan Garcia '15
A-Company Commander

Last night was a very special night for the freshmen. In the Corps of Cadets, the official process of meeting an upperclassmen is known as "whipping out", in which an upperclassmen and a underclassmen exchange info such as name, hometown, and major. Up until now, the freshmen had not formally met their entire senior class by the process of whipping out. Last night, the freshmen were led by 1st SGT Andrew Hounsel out to the Lawrence Sullivan Ross Memorial on campus where they officially introduced themselves to the entire class of of A-Company 2015. This is a special spot for the A-Co class of '15, for this is where we met our seniors just three short years ago. From there, the freshmen were escorted back to the dorms to participate in another cherished tradition known as "boot pulling" in which a freshman assists a senior in removing his/her boots (which is extremely difficult and near impossible to do alone) and spends quality time building a relationship with that specific senior. Pulling my senior's boots my freshman year was one of the most enjoyable experiences I had, and I can only hope the class of 2018 will remember me and my buddies as fondly as we do the class of 2012 (our seniors).

And of course, pictures....

This morning, the freshmen were able to enjoy their first extended break and attended either a religious service of their choice, toured the Memorial Student Center, or caught up on some much deserved sleep. I will be sure to update everyone more as we move toward the final days of FOW!

Howdy Pack!

First off, as promised, here are some photos from the first day of FOW

fish Falatko excited for check in!

1st Platoon Leader Mr. Arquitola escorting fish Rose to A-Co check in.

Finally Zips!

fish meet their sophomores for the first time.

Today, Friday, August 22nd the A-Co Class of '15 seniors took the freshman class to get their haircuts in one of many fish/zip traditions. The freshmen and senior class have a special relationship that is cherished throughout the Corps and especially in A-Co, due to the fact that we only have one year to spend together. The fish were led by their seniors to Northgate Barber Shop where they took their next big step toward becoming fish in the Corps. While a lot of them couldn't recognize themselves in the mirror after their haircut, I'm sure you will all be proud of the men and women of integrity they will become during their time at Texas A&M.

Without further ado...

Females didn't get left out. They learned how to make their buns today!

Before...

...and after!

For many more pictures, please like our Facebook page, "A-Co Wolfpack Families". Looking forward the next couple of days, the freshmen have more academic instruction as well as their first rehearsal with the entire Aggie Band. Whoop! Pictures to come.

- Jordan Garcia '15

  A-Co Commander

Howdy Wolfpack Family and Friends!

The class of 2018 has finally arrived! In what was one of the most exciting and most anticipated days of my life, the A-Co freshman class of 2018 arrived yesterday 22 strong. After being separated from their parents the fish were brought to the dorms where they were changed into FOWU (Freshman Orientation Week Uniform) which consists of a white t-shirt, jeans, low quarter shoes and their Corps of Cadets baseball cap. The freshman were then trained on hallway procedures by their sophomores as well as this year's First Sergeant Andrew Hounsel. From there the freshman were brought out to the quad where they learned how to stand in a block and participated in their first formation with the Corps of Cadets. After that the freshman had a meeting with the band director, Dr. Timothy Rhea, and then I had the opportunity to explain to the freshman some of the values important to A-Company, emphasizing integrity and a commitment to excellence. I still remember like it was yesterday the first time my commander during my freshman year sat us down for the first time. Sitting in the very same position 3 short years later was a very surreal moment for me, one I'm sure I'll cherish for a lifetime. This morning the freshman had their very first practice with the Aggie Band, followed by a long day of meetings and briefings with their respective ROTC departments (Army, Navy, or Air Force). Looking forward to an exciting rest of the week, with haircuts soon to come!

P.S. - The pictures taken form the first day are still being uploaded, but I will post them as soon as possible!

Respectfully,
Jordan Garcia
A-Company Commander 2014-2015

'Last time Army!'

Final review marks the end of the year and the official change of command for the Corps of Cadets. It is the only time that the Corps passes in review without a fish class. It is a very proud and emotional time for all classes, especially the senior class, who wears their uniform for the last time. This will be my last post for the A-Co Commander's blog. Jordan Garcia will be taking over from here. I could write for days about all that I've experienced and how much appreciate all the support that I've had in my time in the Corps, but I'll keep it short.

A-Co has had an amazing year. I can't express how proud I am of everyone's hard work and how much I appreciate your effort. It has been amazing to see how much y'all have grown and changed over the course of the year. Thank you especially to the parents who have put in all the behind the scenes work which allows us to do what we do here.

My time in the Corps has been interesting to say the least. I've had many memorable experiences that I never would have had as a normal college student to include marching in front of 80,000 people, traveling to China, and performing a saber arch for a Medal of Honor recipient. The leadership experience is definitely a large part of the Corps, but I think the life experience is an even bigger and more important part. As commander, and throughout my time in the Corps and Aggie Band, I've faced many challenges, but I always knew that no matter what, I'd have the support of my buddies. Here's to the class of 2014.

It's a great day for a great day for a run A-Co, because you made it one.

In Relentless Pursuit,

Patrick Casey
A-Co Commander Class of 2014

Battle of Flowers Parade and MTTB

We've had quite a busy weekend starting on Friday morning with the annual trip the battle of flowers parade in San Antonio.

The band left early for a 3.5 hour bus ride over to San Antonio. What looked to be a cloudy day turned into a very hot one right before step off for the the Fiesta parade. After the parade, we headed over to Aggie Park where the San Antonio A&M club fed us a fed us Chicken Fried Steak and handed out medals for various achievements.

Congrats to the Zips for 63 miles of MTTB completed!

After a long trip home, most went to sleep early in order to prepare for March to the Brazos the next morning. Luckily, cloud cover kept the whole day cool and comfortable. The whole outfit made the 9 mile trek out to the meat packing center where the juniors then dropped handles with the freshman class.

After grabbing some lunch the seniors headed off to the buses for the trip back while the juniors took command and marched the outfit back. The seniors jumped in their trucks and drove out to Nuclear Science road in order to greet the outfit as they came to the end of the return march. We also had a little fun setting up a pool to relax in. 

The water was quite chilly

Thank you everyone for your donations to the March of Dimes Charity! Congratulations to A-Co on completing the march! 

Upcoming Events

Thank you to everyone who attended the Parents Weekend banquet and activities! I hope that you had a enjoyed it and got to spend some time with your cadet. Congratulations to everyone who won an award this past weekend and to A-Co for winning the JJ Sanchez flag award! I'm proud of all your hard work!

As mentioned at the banquet, here is the link to buy a DVD of the slideshow:

https://secure.touchnet.com/C21490_ustores/web/store_main.jsp?STOREID=216

Each DVD is custom designed per class and will include all subsequent slideshows from previous years. This link will remain open until April 30th. Expected delivery date is the weekend of final review.


This Week

There is no school on Friday and no afternoon activity on Thursday. As soon as classes are over, everyone is permitted to go home. Happy Easter and enjoy your three day weekend!


March to the Brazos

On Friday the 25th the band and Ross Volunteer Company will head to San Antonio for the Battle of the Flowers parade. The following day, the whole Corps will march 9 miles to the Brazos River as our final culmination event and in support of the March of Dimes charity.

Each year the Corps raises money for this charity. A-Co has traditionally made a strong showing in the fundraising effort, placing within the top three regularly. We are currently number 9 in the rankings. If you would like to donate, please follow the link below to our personalized donation site.

http://www.marchforbabies.org/team/acompany

Thank you for your support!

Parent's Weekend Schedule

Here is what we know so far for this weekend. I will post again if there are any changes.

See you on Friday!

Friday April 11
6 PM: Unit Awards Ceremony and Corps Review on Simpson Drill Field
11:59 PM: Midnight Yell Practice


Saturday, April 12
8:30 AM: Aggie Band Award Ceremony – Rudder Auditorium
~9:30 AM: Flower Pinning Ceremony - Corps Plaza
11:30 AM: Hollingsworth Leadership Excellence Program Conferring of Leadership Certificates Ceremony – Rudder Theater
1 PM: Corps of Cadets Fish Drill Team Performance – Simpson Drill Field
1:20 PM: Ross Volunteer Company Performance – Simpson Drill Field
6:30 PM: A-Company Banquet - A&M Methodist Church

Big Event

This weekend, the outfit participated in the annual campus community service project called Big Event. The project was founded to give back to the local area in appreciation for all they provide us with.

The outfit was split up into 4 groups; the largest of which contained over 40 people! I worked with the large group cleaning up a ranch. We raked leaves into large piles and set them on fire. Definitely a great job for college students.


Because we had so many people, the whole project only took about 2 hours. We then enjoyed some down time with the horses.

As I've discussed with the freshman. The remainder of the semester after spring break tends to be an insane sprint to the finish with activities almost every weekend. It is often times the most difficult part of the year, but also the most memorable as people rise to new leadership roles and awards are handed out.

As we finish the year, most of the Corps tends to shut down and start slacking on their standards. A-Company does not follow this trend. One of our biggest identifiers is how we "put out until the end". We stress maximum effort until the Corps actually dies at second pass final review. It's one aspect that I know the senior class is most proud of. We won't give up until were done, and we expect the same of everyone else.

Here's to the final push to the end!

More Leadership Positions

More selections have been made for the Combined Band Staff and special units.

Congratulations to the following people:

Preston Sturdivant: Ross Volunteer Commander

Mario Jimenez: Scholastics Officer

Peyton Fry: Training Sergeant

Gus Leutermann: Inspector General Sergeant

I'm proud of all the hard work y'all have put in for the outfit, and I know you will represent A-Co well next year in your new jobs!

2014-2015 A-Company Leadership

After a long and extensive selection process, next year's Commander and First Sergeant have been selected.

Congratulations to A-Co Commander Jordan Garcia and A-Co 1SG Andrew Hounsel!

I know you guys will do a great job and that A-Co will remain in relentless pursuit in all you do.

Jordan Garcia with B-Batt 1SG Brendan Crouch 

after the A-Co Half Marathon

Andrew Hounsel with General Ramirez

Half Marathon and Reunion

The outfit had an excellent time this past weekend with the annual outfit half marathon and the soon to be annual A-Company Reunion. 

The half marathon is a new tradition started three years ago as A-Co began to discover its identity. Each year we've expanded the endeavor a little more. This year we opened up the run to former members of A-Co with the hopes that we will eventually be able to open to the general public.

The A-Co reunion was an idea that has been about three years in the making. The idea was to build up a strong alumni basis and connect A-Co past, present, and future. The reunion was well received by the alumni and the outfit had a great time swapping fish year stories with our guests. 

I would like to give a special thanks to Jacob Jones and Caleb Jones who put in a vast amount of work on the logistics side of things to make this event possible. You guys are great!

Parent's Weekend Slide Show

Parents, if you have pictures that would be good for the slide show that we are creating for parent's weekend, please send them to Bryan Scott: bryancscott9214@tamu.edu

Thank you!

Bloody Cross

Congratulations to A-Co for running a 20:10 at the Blood Cross Competition! 

The Bloody Cross competition is a 6 lap run around the quad(about 3 miles) that the Corps participates in once a year. During last year's run A-Co broke into the 10 ten; the first time a band outfit had done so in years. This year we made a very strong showing and will undoubtedly be first the band, and ranked well among the Corps. 

Part of the competition is retention during the run. If you lose more than 25% of the block or have people who skipped, you receive a time penalty. I'm proud to say that A-Co had no time penalties. Wolves Run Together!

Parent's Weekend Auction

Each year during parent's weekend, the outfit holds a silent auction to pay for starter supplies for the next year's incoming freshman class. This is a long standing tradition within A-Co and one that incoming freshman and freshman parents benefit from greatly.

If you have an item you would like to donate to the silent auction, please contact our coordinator for this year, Daniel Delaney: delaneydp1992@tamu.edu

Thank you for your support!

Ethical Leadership

This past Sunday, the Corps attended a mandatory briefing on discipline, or as our speaker Lt Col Emerson likes to put it, "Big 'D' Discipline"; emphasizing the positive aspects of discipline rather than discipline as strictly a form of punishment. It would be convenient to say that A&M and the Corps provide a "safe environment" for young people to make mistakes and learn from them, but it is increasingly clear that this is not the case, nor should it be given the expectations that society places on tomorrow's leaders in both the public and private sectors.

When I was a fish, discipline briefings were essentially just reminders to not haze each other and if you were going to, cover it up so a CTO (Cadet Training Officer or "Bull"- member of the commandant's staff) doesn't ever know about it. This is certainly not the message nor the situation that we find ourselves in today. Not only are cadets expected to not participate in incidents of hazing, sexual harassment, or underage drinking, but to also hold those around them accountable to the same standard. It is in this condition where leadership is truly tested.

I spoke to the freshman during outfit meeting about an ethical paradigm I recently heard:

"An organization that is doing things right will demand your integrity, an organization that is not doing things right will demand your loyalty."

I challenged them to consider what type of organization the Corps is, what type of organization A-Company is. As members of this outfit, what kind of culture do we promote? How do we conduct ourselves, and what kind of conduct do we condone?

Ultimately, it is impossible to be perfect, but it is possible to handle any deviations we might have through the proper venues. I'll end with Governor Coke's advice to the first class to enter A&M:

"To the Students: Let your watchword be duty, and know no other talisman of success than labor. Let honor be your guiding star in your dealings with you superiors, your fellows, with all. Be as true to a trust reposed as the needle to the pole, stand by the right even to the sacrifice of life itself, and learn that death is preferable to dishonor."

Fall Semester Grades

A-Co had an excellent fall semester in many respects, but especially our grades!

Every class posted a 3.0 GPA, the highest we've ever had for the fall.

Freshman posted the highest grades in the band and 10th highest in the Corps. This is especially impressive considering most have engineering and science majors which are notorious for tough freshmen courses.

I am incredibly proud of everyone's hard work and looking forward to a great spring semester. We don't have any football games, but will be quite busy with Corps activities to include Aggieland Saturday, Big Event, Hall of Honor, Parent's Weekend, March to the Brazos, and Final Review.

As I've told the fish before, second semester is where you really get to know your buddies. You have the Corps figured out, and classes too for the most part. There is more time on the weekends to hang out and just relax with your friends. I'm glad that we have 100% of the freshmen returning for their second semester as a fish. It will definitely be one to remember.

Tired fish after a long bowl game trip